2015 Bulldog 25K Race on August 22nd Was Fun But I Just Quite Missed My Goal

The sign indicating you are about to encounter pain :)

Having run the Bulldog 25K (and previously 30K) race in Malibu Creek State Park half a dozen times, I must be a glutton for pain coming back for a 7th time on August 22nd. 

The course is one of the most challenging around town, with over 4,000 feet of elevation climb over 15 1/2 miles, including cresting the 2,528 Bulldog peak and dealing with the relentless downhills after reaching the top.

Having not raced particularly much this past year, I hadn't given much thought to doing Bulldog again this year, until I bit the bullet and registered on July 31st. That's not a lot of time to prepare for a tough 25K, but I was pleased to be running fairly injury free for several months and had run (as much as you can run) up Boney Mountain a couple times. I also ran the Bulldog course a couple time slowly, just to gauge the distance. 

Ultimately what prompted me to sign up was that I looked at the course records for the race at trailrunevents.com/bd and noticed that the age group record for my elderly 50 to 54 age group category seemed a bit light at 2:05 and change. I could beat that and get my name forever emblazoned on the Internet, I thought. I ran a 2:02 at age 49, so I figured I could get close.

For months however, my latest ailment is a right knee that has been problematic mostly the first few miles of the morning run. Could be a meniscal tear or something, but it has been on and off for many months. Sure enough, it got worse. Pretty much the day after I signed up for Bulldog, parting ways with $100.

As it got worse, I finally started wearing a patella knee support strap under the knee, which helped me continue running as I decided to see if it would go away on its own, like most ailments do. I noticed it seemed to get worse when I was riding bikes with my kids. Old age can really suck sometimes!

So in any case, the weekend before Bulldog, I go on a road trip to San Diego with my youngest, to see both the San Diego Zoo and the Safari Park on back to back days.  It was fun indeed, but my knee pain was escalating, so I couldn't run at all. 

My 9 year old wanted to work out in the hotel gym. I was overseeing him for a bit, then he wanted to jog on the treadmill (which was a complete surprise to me because he has never shown an interest in gyms or treadmills). So I decide, knee brace on, to try the elliptical machine as an alternative to running.

ROOKIE MISTAKE! Only problem is, I'm not a rookie! I'm a veteran! But veterans make mistakes too.  At least in my case.

I could have ellipticaled (or whatever you call it when you use that machine) for 10 minutes or so, but NOOoooo, I decide to go for FIVE MILES on that machine. Stooopid move.

I got off the machine and my legs felt numb, like I was walking on air. But not in a good way. I was going pretty hard on the machine too.

Sure enough. next day, my left ass cheek was sore. Quite sore. Like ran a marathon yesterday sore. And it stayed sore the entire week. Just the left side, not the right, I think because I was overcompensating for my bum right knee.

A little Advil and Aleve gave some temporary relief, but the entire week I felt that soreness and knew that I made a mistake that can't be undone.

The soreness was not as bad on race day, but it was also tight. I was hoping for a miracle and that it would suddenly "open up" for the race. Not that I was running badly or anything. I ran well, But the stiffness in the upper hamstring area impeded my stride, it seemed mostly on the (rare) flat sections of the course and the downhill. Not to mention, I was wearing my right knee brace, but my downhill was slightly impacted by my right knee problem.

So in any case, I gave it my best shot and finished in a respectable 2:06:25, goof for 12th place overall.  I was not far off my race goal, so I'm happy about the performance overall.

The first place woman, 30 year old Caitlin Jacobsen, blew past me mid-way into the freefall descent portion of the race, where you drop roughly 1,500 feet over about 2 1/2 miles. It is brutal as always. I could not keep up with her, but I kept her in my sites, finishing 34 seconds behind her. She ran quite a strong race.

So I looked at the course records again as I typed this and notice that the 5 year age groups have been changed to 10 year age groups.  The 10 year record is 2:02:40, a formidable time on that course run by 56 year old Ron Paquette last year. He ran another awesome time this year at age 57 - a 2:03:29 - good for 8th overall. Kudos to him! 

So, next year, next race, whenever it is, I'll be putting a Post-It on my running shoes that says "Don't Do Something Stupid!" 

Felt Good at Today's 3rd Annual Aut2Run 10K at CSU Channel Islands

Today I ventured down the Potrero Grade to CSU Channel Islands to run the 3rd Annual Aut2Run 10K in support of the Autism Society of Ventura County.

This was my first completed race since the 2nd Annual Aut2Run 10K last year. My training has consisted of daily runs, but nothing fast or fancy, about 30 to 40 miles per week, mostly slow and unfocused.

It was fun to get out there today with no set expectations in mind, other than to give it a solid go and try to run a smart race. Last year I finished 3rd overall in 37:55, a time that reflected the fact that I was running with some 11-12 year old kids one day a week on the track. This year I managed a 38:56, which I was happy with given my training and my advanced age (I reached my 2nd half century of life subsequent to running last year's race).

In the posted race results, my time shows me at 4th place overall, but behind a 48 year old woman from Moorpark. Unless my advanced age has created senility, I know for 100% fact that that person in front of me in 3rd place was not 48 years old, nor a woman, but perhaps a 24 year old male over six feet tall. I know that quite well as he trailed me for several miles early in the race, before pushing ahead and leaving me in the dust on this part-trail run, though I had him in my sights the remainder of the race.

This is a well managed race and STARTED ON TIME. That's always a positive sign when race organizers, who have a challenging job managing any race, can nail that. Although I live only about 5 miles away from the race, I managed to barely drag myself out of bed and down the hill to reach the starting line with about 4 minutes to spare.

As the starter said "Go," the standard adrenaline-induced sprint took place, leaving me in about 40th position at the first turn. Having run hundreds of local 5K/10K runs over the years and finishing 3rd place last year, I smiled, knowing, all these sprinters would provide me some target practice over the next few miles. It only took about mile and a half to settle things out, where I landed in about 4th or 5th position for the remainder of the race.

This 10K is pretty much flat the entire way, though the 2 miles of dirt surfaces near the Scary Dairy along with a couple short hills provided for very brief challenges. Mile 5 is a very slight downhill on Camarillo Street. I tried to pour it on over that stretch, but when you're not used to running fast, it's hard to do so as you fear your body could implode. I was able to pass a youngster half my age who was running in, yes, a lab coat. I joked with him that he was doing the elderly (i.e. me) a favor running in that coat and that they should deduct a minute of his time for it. He laughed and we pushed on to the finish.

The winner of the race was Steve Cox of Newbury Park, who finished in a speedy 36:35. Steve is 18 years younger than me, so I figure, he would run 10 seconds per year slower over those 18 years, or 3 additional minutes, resulting in a 39:35, so I would have beat him, heh heh. Yes, one can become quite delusional once they reach age 50. Nice job, Steve!

A great race it is and an outstanding resource onsite with a number of autism and special needs organizations. Learn more at www.aut2run.org and the Autism Society Ventura County site at www.autismventura.org.

Top Finishers at the 30th Annual Great Race of Agoura on March 28th

The 30th Annual Great Race of Agoura Hills took place on Saturday, March 28, 2015. I once again did not participate in this event due to my kid's sports activities but thousands of folks participated that day.

Top finishers by race:

Cheseboro Half Marathon (Males):

• Matthew Gulden of Simi Valley 1:17:16
• Chris Gilbert of Oxnard 1:18:53
• Keith Yanov of Culver City 1:22:35

Cheseboro Half Marathon (Females):

• Anika Busby of Newbury Park 1:30:05
• Anissa Faulkner of Ojai 1:33:29
• Stephanie Martinez of Canyon Country 1:35:15

Pacific Half Marathon (Males):

• Sergio Reyes of Palmdale 1:12:26
• Justin Neems of Torrance 1:19:29
• Peter Farb of Torrance 1:26:08

Pacific Half Marathon (Females):

• Natalie Bullock of Thousand Oaks 1:30:50
• Lindsey Carter of Newport Beach 1:34:06
• Elizabeth Lluch of Agoura Hills 1:37:00 (wow at age 53!)

Old Agoura 10K (Males):

• Justin Patananan of Palmdale 32:20
• Bryant Christine of Thousand Oaks 37:31
• Lucas Miranda of Valencia 38:03

Old Agoura 10K (Females):

• Amanda Rice of Oxnard 38:59
• Maggie Shearer of Newbury Park 39:34
• Heather Worden of Lancaster 41:31

Deena Kastor 5K (Males):

• Josh Pattiz of Agoura 17:38
• Mike Dib 17:53
• Austin Gilbert of Oak Park 18:29

Deena Kastor 5K (Females):

• Mayte Pacheco of Moorpark 18:13 (age 16!)
• Sarah Shulze of Oak Park 18:38 (age 14!!!)
• Rebecca Schultz of Westlake Village 19:09 (age 13!!!!!)

Nicely done! Next year's 31st Annual event is set for Sunday, March 19, 2016. Visit greatraceofagoura.com to sign up!

Top Conejo Valley, Ventura County Finishers at the 2015 Los Angeles Marathon

The 30th Annual ACICS LA Marathon last Sunday, March 15th, took place on a day with unseasonably warm temperatures, some 15 to 20 degrees above normal. But that didn't stop 22,333 runners from crossing the finish line, led by overall winner Daniel Limo of Kenya in 2:10:36 and top female, Ogla Kimaiyo of Kenya in 2:34:10.

American runners finished 3rd overall in the race, which also represented the USATF Marathon Championships. Jared Ward finished in 2:12:56 and 39 year old Blake Russell ran a 2:34:57 in the women's race.

Liz Camy of Simi Valley was the 18th female and 61st overall finisher in the marathon in 2:46:58!

More at www.lamarathon.com. They are already taking entries for the 31st edition on Sunday, February 14, 2016.

LIZ CAMY 2:46:58 SIMI VALLEY JOSE LASTRE 3:05:32 CAMARILLO ROSS LAMB 3:16:10 WESTLAKE VILLAGE JORGE RANGEL 3:16:50 SIMI VALLEY PETER MASATANI 3:17:53 SIMI VALLEY PEDRO GARCIA 3:22:03 FILLMORE ARIANE HENDRIX-ROACH 3:22:12 OXNARD VICENTE MONROY 3:24:06 OXNARD NEIL QUACH 3:24:20 WESTLAKE VILLAGE JOSE MEZA 3:25:23 MOORPARK MICHAEL CONTRERAS 3:26:27 CAMARILLO JESUS PEREZ 3:28:35 OXNARD NICHOLAS JOHANSON 3:29:09 WESTLAKE VILLAGE PEDRO HERNANDEZ 3:30:49 OXNARD ARMANDO ONOFRE 3:32:01 OXNARD RAMON PEREZ 3:32:16 SIMI VALLEY ARMANDO CASIMIRO 3:32:23 SANTA PAULA EFRAIN GALLEGOS 3:33:17 OXNARD SCOTT SMITH 3:33:26 THOUSAND OAKS BELIA COOK 3:33:30 OXNARD ASHWIN BATRA 3:34:54 OXNARD ROSE CARLMAN 3:35:04 CAMARILLO KEVIN WILLIAMS 3:35:18 THOUSAND OAKS CASEY HAMBLY 3:36:12 THOUSAND OAKS PEDRO VILLAGRAN 3:36:12 SIMI VALLEY SCOTT HAMBLY 3:36:29 THOUSAND OAKS JUSTIN HAYWARD 3:38:01 THOUSAND OAKS SIMON MARTIN 3:39:16 NEWBURY PARK HIROSHI KAWASHIMA 3:39:22 NEWBURY PARK RUSSELL VENTURA 3:40:36 VENTURA MICHAEL SCHULHOF 3:41:18 WESTLAKE VILLAGE JIM BLANCK 3:41:20 SIMI VALLEY JUDY QUICK 3:42:18 OXNARD STEPHANIE SEIFFERT 3:43:36 WESTLAKE VILLAGE JOHN SPYKERMAN 3:43:44 MOORPARK DAVID YEUNG 3:44:44 AGOURA HILLS STACY SWANSON 3:45:22 THOUSAND OAKS RICARDO BELECHE 3:45:22 SIMI VALLEY DREW SCHUSTER 3:45:28 THOUSAND OAKS MEGHAN DAVY 3:45:43 MOORPARK OLIVER KIRSTEIN 3:46:10 NEWBURY PARK PAUL ANDREWS 3:46:16 WESTLAKE VILLAGE RAY ELLIOTT 3:46:31 VENTURA DOMINIC ANTHONY 3:47:48 OXNARD SOPHIA GRISE 3:48:22 NEWBURY PARK RAMIRO ALVAREZ 3:48:34 SIMI VALLEY BRIAN GOLD 3:48:45 AGOURA HILLS AMANDA DEEDS 3:48:46 SIMI VALLEY JASON GRIFFITH 3:49:14 THOUSAND OAKS JEFF VANNEMAN 3:51:22 SIMI VALLEY RUDY CARRASQUILLO 3:51:51 SIMI VALLEY JOE HERZOG 3:53:10 MOORPARK MARCUS HERZOG 3:53:10 MOORPARK ROBERT DUNN 3:54:09 MOORPARK MIKE MALINZAK 3:55:26 THOUSAND OAKS ISRRAEL ESTRADA 3:56:07 FILLMORE RYAN HUISENGA 3:56:32 MOORPARK AMY KUPIC 3:56:58 NEWBURY PARK JORDAN COMBE 3:57:23 NEWBURY PARK THOMAS LASAM 3:57:46 THOUSAND OAKS ROSA CAMERON 3:58:01 OXNARD DAVID MOORE 3:58:28 MOORPARK JAMES MCAFEE 3:59:02 WESTLAKE VILLAGE ANTON TALARICO 3:59:37 SIMI VALLEY LANA ALICATA 4:01:07 SIMI VALLEY ZOSIMO GELUZ 4:01:17 CAMARILLO JOSE MORA 4:02:27 SIMI VALLEY MICHAEL CONN 4:04:57 AGOURA HILLS EDGAR RIVERA 4:05:24 VENTURA JOE GUARDADO 4:06:05 SIMI VALLEY NICO GERVASONI 4:06:22 SIMI VALLEY NICOLE BLACK 4:06:43 SIMI VALLEY JAMES CHANG 4:06:45 SIMI VALLEY ROYAL DEAN 4:07:16 SIMI VALLEY RANDY KRUSE 4:08:42 SIMI VALLEY DIANA VIZCAINO 4:08:44 OXNARD, CA JAMES RICHARDSON 4:08:51 NEWBURY PARK, CA PATRICIA AMECA 4:08:59 OXNARD, CA CARLY SIMON 4:09:01 AGOURA HILLS, CA JUDITH RODRIGUEZ 4:10:32 FILLMORE, CA CALEB GUEVARA 4:11:21 VENTURA, CA VICTOR PERNVIK 4:11:49 AGOURA HILLS, CA ESTHER CALDERON 4:11:52 SIMI VALLEY, CA CONNIE GUILLEN 4:12:12 OXNARD, CA JAIKRISHNAN MURALEEDHARAN 4:12:27 CAMARILLO, CA VAUGHN SMITH 4:12:49 SIMI VALLEY, CA SAUL PENA 4:13:07 VENTURA, CA TODD GARRETT 4:13:15 OXNARD, CA STEVE ORNELLAS 4:13:20 MOORPARK, CA SHANNAN PARSONS 4:13:45 NEWBURY PARK, CA ROSY GALLEGOS 4:14:22 FILLMORE, CA BRANDON RISTA 4:15:11 NEWBURY PARK, CA ERIC KNIGHT 4:15:51 VENTURA, CA YVETTE IRONS 4:15:56 SIMI VALLEY, CA MARK GREBEN 4:16:03 CAMARILLO, CA LORI LEONARD 4:16:25 SIMI VALLEY, CA HUNTER KARDINAAL 4:16:43 THOUSAND OAKS, CA LINDA HOUSER 4:17:32 SIMI VALLEY, CA MICHAEL CERF 4:17:32 CAMARILLO, CA JAKE ANDERSON 4:17:51 AGOURA HILLS, CA REBECCA CANO 4:17:51 OXNARD, CA FLAVIO AGUILERA 4:18:02 OXNARD, CA COLLEEN HAIDEN 4:18:21 SIMI VALLEY, CA LINDSAY PALMBERG 4:18:35 SIMI VALLEY, CA MARIO SALDANA 4:18:42 SIMI VALLEY, CA BENGT JOHANSSON 4:19:35 CAMARILLO, CA EDWARD NUKI 4:19:37 THOUSAND OAKS, CA ISIDRO FIGUEROA 4:19:44 OXNARD, CA AVA BUZZELLI 4:20:24 NEWBURY PARK, CA EDELMIRA SHUMAN 4:20:39 OXNARD, CA MONICA LITTLE 4:21:33 CAMARILLO, CA JOHN JESSON 4:23:17 SIMI VALLEY, CA JONATHAN SANDOVAL 4:23:36 FILLMORE, CA VICTOR GONZALEZ 4:23:44 MOORPARK, CA NOAH SHEARER 4:24:11 AGOURA HILLS, CA JOANNE CAROLAN 4:24:42 CAMARILLO, CA DANA FLESHMAN 4:25:01 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA RACHEL MORLEY 4:25:18 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA WILLIE ROLAND 4:26:24 NEWBURY PARK, CA RYANNA GRIMALDO 4:26:58 VENTURA, CA TODD MOODY 4:27:04 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA DAN FRAYSSINET 4:27:16 CAMARILLO, CA MICHAEL KAUFMAN 4:27:30 THOUSAND OAKS, CA CESAR HERNANDEZ 4:27:34 OXNARD, CA DENNIS MURPHY 4:27:59 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA MARK GARCIA 4:27:59 OXNARD, CA NADARSHA SAINABA 4:28:55 SIMI VALLEY, CA DIANA CONTRERAS 4:28:58 SIMI VALLEY, CA DAN PETERSON 4:29:39 THOUSAND OAKS, CA CARLOS SIAN 4:30:31 SIMI VALLEY, CA THERESA DIAZ 4:30:50 THOUSAND OAKS, CA MICHAEL RODRIGUEZ 4:31:02 PORT HUENEME, CA CESAR RODRIGUEZ 4:31:24 PORT HUENEME, CA MICHELLE CARRILLO 4:31:51 THOUSAND OAKS, CA SELENE NAVARRETE 4:32:02 CAMARILLO, CA SUBIN YUVAVANICH 4:32:04 THOUSAND OAKS, CA ANDREA CLARK 4:32:31 THOUSAND OAKS, CA RAUL MELGOZA 4:32:31 OXNARD, CA NORMA SANTIAGO 4:33:21 CAMARILLO, CA STEVEN RODRIGUEZ 4:33:23 SANTA PAULA, CA LUZ RODR?GUEZ 4:33:26 FILLMORE, CA DAVID LOWE 4:33:36 SIMI VALLEY, CA MARKO MATLA 4:33:50 SIMI VALLEY, CA JASON MARKS 4:34:04 VENTURA, CA ROBIN SHEA 4:34:17 NEWBURY PARK, CA JUAN AGUILERA 4:35:12 OXNARD, CA JENNIFER MURRY 4:35:37 MOORPARK, CA DAN WALKER 4:36:00 SIMI VALLEY, CA WHITNEY WALKER 4:36:01 SIMI VALLEY, CA SCOTT HORIUCHI 4:37:38 CAMARILLO, CA MARY NELSON 4:37:43 OJAI, CA FERNANDO LOPEZ 4:38:07 OXNARD, CA KENNETH SHERMAN 4:39:21 MOORPARK, CA IGNACIO SOTO 4:39:34 SIMI VALLEY, CA NIDHAL AKL 4:39:39 SIMI VALLEY, CA DAVID YURCISIN 4:39:41 FILLMORE, CA SUSANA BAEZA 4:40:07 OXNARD, CA MICHAEL PHILIP ASUNCION 4:40:50 OXNARD, CA DUSTIN GRIFFES 4:40:58 THOUSAND OAKS, CA SERAFIN BARAJAS 4:41:47 THOUSAND OAKS, CA PAUL SCHWAKE 4:42:01 AGOURA HILLS, CA EMILY OLSZOWY 4:42:09 VENTURA, CA LARRY GREFALDA 4:42:12 OXNARD, CA MOISES BENAVIDES 4:42:18 OXNARD, CA JOSE MURILLO 4:42:46 OXNARD, CA EDVIN JAVIER LOPEZ 4:44:50 MOORPARK, CA FRANCISCO ALMAGUER 4:45:07 CAMARILLO, CA KENT FREEMAN 4:45:11 SIMI VALLEY, CA MARIA INES LEON 4:45:16 AGOURA HILLS, CA G. MARK SAINZ 4:45:21 AGOURA HILLS, CA BRETT WINSLOW 4:45:35 PORT HUENEME, CA JULIAN CASTILLO 4:45:42 NEWBURY PARK, CA JESUS MEJIA 4:45:55 OXNARD, CA ELI LABER 4:46:26 AGOURA HILLS, CA MELINDA BRODSLY 4:46:35 THOUSAND OAKS, CA ROBERT GERACE 4:46:43 THOUSAND OAKS, CA ROBERT YAN 4:46:52 CAMARILLO, CA ROBERTO ESPINOZA 4:47:00 OXNARD, CA GABRIEL COVARRUBIAS 4:47:09 CAMARILLO, CA SANDY NELSON 4:47:13 OXNARD, CA FELIPE VELASQUEZ 4:48:17 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA GARRY JENKINS 4:49:08 CAMARILLO, CA JEN WERTHEIMER 4:49:42 MOORPARK, CA ALEJANDRO ALCALA 4:49:58 OXNARD, CA ARIANNA WONG 4:50:15 SIMI VALLEY, CA CRISTINA ZAVALA 4:50:36 MOORPARK, CA VIC EVANGELISTA 4:50:46 OXNARD, CA PJ LARA 4:51:02 THOUSAND OAKS, CA CARMEN SCHORNACK 4:51:20 CAMARILLO, CA RICHARD DILLON 4:53:14 CAMARILLO, CA ANTHONY FOLI 4:53:17 THOUSAND OAKS, CA ASHLEY TESORIERO 4:53:20 THOUSAND OAKS, CA ARTURO GUTIERREZ 4:54:21 PORT HUENEME, CA RICHARD CARMAN 4:54:37 SIMI VALLEY, CA RAFAEL PRADO 4:55:30 OXNARD, CA GUSTAVO CARRANZA 4:55:53 SIMI VALLEY, CA HIROKI YAMAGUCHI 4:56:19 THOUSAND OAKS, CA CHARMAINE YAMBAO 4:56:23 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA GALINA RICHARDSON 4:56:46 VENTURA, CA RODRIGO GANDULFO 4:58:21 NEWBURY PARK, CA ALEX WEISS 4:58:48 NEWBURY PARK, CA SOLANGE WEISS 4:58:49 MOORPARK, CA OSCAR ARRIAGA 4:58:57 SANTA PAULA, CA MARK BROWN 4:59:02 MOORPARK, CA SCOTT FULKERSON 4:59:52 SIMI VALLEY, CA SARAH REINES 4:59:56 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA BOB FRYER 5:00:00 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA KRISTINA LAUINGER 5:00:04 SIMI VALLEY, CA ARTURO RIOS 5:00:07 OXNARD, CA DANIEL O'KELLEY 5:00:27 THOUSAND OAKS, CA LEAH BINGHAM 5:01:17 SIMI VALLEY, CA JEANETTE NAGAI 5:02:35 MOORPARK, CA VERA LORDAN 5:02:38 SIMI VALLEY, CA CATHLYN FOSS 5:02:47 MOORPARK, CA HOLLY MILES 5:02:48 AGOURA HILLS, CA ED HERNANDEZ 5:03:42 MOORPARK, CA STEVE TORRES 5:03:51 OXNARD, CA TIMOTHY MCDOUGAL 5:04:09 OXNARD, CA CRISTIAN GUARDADO 5:05:08 THOUSAND OAKS, CA KIM LO 5:05:12 THOUSAND OAKS, CA ALEJANDRO BENITO 5:05:15 OXNARD, TX COURTNEY KERSHAW 5:05:33 AGOURA HILLS, CA LUIS ESPINOZA 5:05:36 CAMARILLO, CA OSIRIS BARRAGAN 5:05:41 SIMI VALLEY, CA BRYAN CLARK 5:05:58 SIMI VALLEY, CA KEITH STUDLEY 5:06:16 SIMI VALLEY, CA JULIE RIEDMILLER 5:07:17 CAMARILLO, CA FRANK LAGUARDIA 5:07:39 THOUSAND OAKS, CA DAISY MELENDEZ 5:07:55 OXNARD, CA TOM FRIEL 5:08:23 CAMARILLO, CA ELIZABETH FURMAN 5:09:40 THOUSAND OAKS, CA JAMES MORROW 5:09:41 SIMI VALLEY, CA DONALD WHITE 5:09:44 THOUSAND OAKS, CA FRANK HABON 5:09:57 OXNARD, CA STEPHEN QUINN 5:10:16 VENTURA, CA JAVIER PEREZ 5:10:48 VENTURA, CA MICHAEL COGNATA 5:11:19 SIMI VALLEY, CA DANIEL MARGOLIS 5:11:23 THOUSAND OAKS, CA KIMBERLY FREEMAN 5:11:24 SIMI VALLEY, CA ROBERT GIFFIN 5:11:53 SANTA PAULA, CA JOHN LIM 5:12:09 AGOURA HILLS, CA DAVE MALAGON 5:12:20 OXNARD, CA MAUREEN FRIEDMAN 5:12:27 THOUSAND OAKS, CA MIKE TOSCH 5:12:30 THOUSAND OAKS, CA SYLVIA DEBORAH ANN KILLGORE 5:12:37 PORT HUENEME, CA WENDY WHETTON 5:12:43 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA JIM CROWFOOT 5:13:12 SIMI VALLEY, CA DEANNA HUDGINS 5:13:12 MOORPARK, CA JUANITA SUAREZ 5:13:12 OXNARD, CA BRENT CRAFTON 5:13:47 THOUSAND OAKS, CA FLAVIO LUPERCIO 5:14:10 OJAI, CA AMANDA BRUNETTE 5:14:54 VENTURA, CA BRETT GRISWOLD 5:14:55 MOORPARK, CA GERARDO DE CASAS 5:15:22 OXNARD, CA ELIZABETH ZERNIK 5:15:35 NEWBURY PARK, CA ABRAHAM MARRUFFO 5:16:24 VENTURA, CA BARBARA HARD 5:16:37 THOUSAND OAKS, CA LINDY CRAFT 5:17:23 THOUSAND OAKS, CA JORDAN LUKIEWSKI 5:17:59 CAMARILLO, CA MARIO PALOMARES 5:18:32 SIMI VALLEY, CA KRYSTAL HUISENGA 5:18:50 MOORPARK, CA ANNA IP 5:18:50 MOORPARK, CA ANDY HUISENGA 5:18:51 MOORPARK, CA KATHLEEN COVARRUBIAS 5:20:11 THOUSAND OAKS, CA PATRICIA DAWSON 5:20:37 THOUSAND OAKS, CA MARILETH NAKAGAWA 5:20:37 THOUSAND OAKS, CA RUBEN ROSALES 5:20:58 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA MELANIE SWANSON 5:21:45 CAMARILLO, CA ANDREA LIM 5:21:54 THOUSAND OAKS, CA JERRIKA BARNETT 5:23:00 CAMARILLO, CA OXIEL MARTINEZ 5:23:04 VENTURA, CA WARREN ANDERSON 5:23:07 OXNARD, CA AMY ROBBINS 5:23:11 OXNARD, CA KATHLEEN SACHA 5:23:13 THOUSAND OAKS, CA TINA KONIARES 5:23:39 THOUSAND OAKS, CA ROBIN NISHIZAKI 5:23:56 THOUSAND OAKS, CA MJ KENNEDY 5:24:05 PORT HUENEME, CA ERIC SANCHEZ 5:24:09 OXNARD, CA BECKY TAYLOR 5:24:40 SIMI VALLEY, CA NICOLE LE 5:24:56 CAMARILLO, CA LYNN MOCHIZUKI 5:25:06 OXNARD, CA ALI NADERI 5:25:12 MOORPARK, CA DAO KEMP 5:25:15 SIMI VALLEY, CA ANNMARIE WILLIAMS 5:25:20 CAMARILLO, CA SONYA LEHTO 5:25:47 NEWBURY PARK, CA NORMAN LEHTO 5:25:47 NEWBURY PARK, CA TIM PADILLA 5:27:06 MOORPARK, CA DONNA JOAQUIN 5:27:50 SIMI VALLEY, CA BRYAN CLABEAUX 5:28:08 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA MONICA FIERRO 5:28:24 OXNARD, CA ABHIJIT AGASHE 5:28:38 AGOURA HILLS, CA DAISY FERNANDEZ 5:28:46 OXNARD, CA JONATHAN LULL 5:28:54 THOUSAND OAKS, CA EDWARD BOUGHTON 5:29:12 VENTURA, CA GORDON MEEK 5:29:30 PORT HUENEME, CA TEAM CC 5:29:40 AGOURA HILLS, CA GEOFF BIGLEY 5:29:41 CAMARILLO, CA JIMMY VERITY 5:29:43 MOORPARK, CA CHUNG SEOK 5:30:31 CAMARILLO, CA JOSE OLARTE 5:31:15 OXNARD, CA JOEL CERDA 5:31:30 OXNARD, CA GINA GARCIA 5:31:30 VENTURA, CA REID CHOBANIAN 5:31:33 THOUSAND OAKS, CA JUYEA HOO 5:31:58 THOUSAND OAKS, CA SOPHIA HARGETT 5:33:19 VENTURA, CA KATRINA HOLLINS 5:33:55 MOORPARK, CA DAVE MCINTYRE 5:33:55 CAMARILLO, CA NATALIE ROBERTS 5:33:56 THOUSAND OAKS, CA CHRIS CAPARON 5:33:56 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA FLORIE PINEDA 5:33:58 SIMI VALLEY, CA MARILYN EHRMAN 5:34:40 AGOURA HILLS, CA LENA BIGELOW 5:34:50 AGOURA HILLS, CA LETTY MEJIA 5:35:18 FILLMORE, CA ANTHONY SABO 5:35:43 CAMARILLO, CA JIM MONTGOMERY 5:35:51 VENTURA, CA BETH MORROW 5:36:05 SIMI VALLEY, CA CELSO LEA?OS 5:36:16 OXNARD, CA MIKE PATTERSON 5:36:44 OXNARD, CA MALIN MCKINLEY 5:36:49 AGOURA HILLS, CA NANCY SANCHEZ 5:36:52 THOUSAND OAKS, CA YVETTE ULLOA 5:37:58 CAMARILLO, CA DAVID CHIN 5:38:04 VENTURA, CA YUKO ISHIKAWA 5:38:05 OXNARD, CA MANNY DORADO 5:38:08 OXNARD, CA GUILLERMO LOPEZ 5:38:17 OXNARD, CA NATALLY MIRANDA 5:39:17 OXNARD, CA GIGI PETERSON 5:39:31 THOUSAND OAKS, CA HEATHER TOMKA 5:39:41 VENTURA, CA JEFFERY RUGGIERI 5:40:10 SIMI VALLEY, CA CHRISTOPHER BORTHS 5:40:55 MOORPARK, CA KARLA DIDOMIZIO 5:40:55 OXNARD, CA JOHN NASH 5:41:04 OXNARD, CA BRIAN BRADBURN 5:41:31 NEWBURY PARK, CA MICHAEL DIPPERSTEIN 5:41:32 CAMARILLO, CA ROBIN FONTANA 5:41:32 CAMARILLO, CA JENNIFER SIMPSON 5:41:49 THOUSAND OAKS, CA JASMINE ALEJANDRO-MANALO 5:42:08 OXNARD, CA MADELEINE QUACKENBUSH 5:42:45 OJAI, CA DEBBIE LEVITT 5:42:46 THOUSAND OAKS, CA SARA MITCHELL 5:42:46 VENTURA, CA BRIAN CLARK 5:43:16 THOUSAND OAKS, CA DYLAN PLANTE 5:43:41 SIMI VALLEY, CA JAHANGIR MEHRKHODAVANDI 5:43:48 SIMI VALLEY, CA SHEILA GALINSKY 5:44:03 CAMARILLO, CA MARIA VELASCO 5:44:11 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA LAURIE CRAFT 5:44:30 THOUSAND OAKS, CA TRACY SAWLSVILLE 5:47:07 SIMI VALLEY, CA KAITLIN MALONE 5:47:21 THOUSAND OAKS, CA LUIS ESTRADA 5:47:23 CAMARILLO, CA JOANN HABROUN 5:47:57 SIMI VALLEY, CA STACY HABROUN 5:47:58 SIMI VALLEY, CA CHRIS SONNENBERG 5:49:34 MOORPARK, CA SAMRAH KHAN 5:49:54 SIMI VALLEY, CA DAVID GRIMMETT 5:50:21 SIMI VALLEY, CA BETSY WATSON 5:50:40 OXNARD, CA KAREN MCELFRESH 5:51:14 AGOURA HILLS, CA JOSE GUADALUPE HERNANDEZ PADILLA 5:51:23 OXNARD, CA DEREK LEUNG 5:52:16 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA STEVEN WOOD 5:52:25 NEWBURY PARK, CA KIRAN KUMAR VEERAVATNAM 5:52:26 SIMI VALLEY, CA DENISE HILL 5:53:41 OXNARD, CA AMANDA HERNANDEZ 5:53:47 SIMI VALLEY, CA MICKII HOSAKI 5:53:52 OXNARD, CA KATE CALDERON 5:53:52 VENTURA, CA CARRIE MANDEL 5:54:11 AGOURA HILLS, CA BRENT MANDEL 5:54:11 AGOURA HILLS, CA NICHOLAS MLINAC 5:54:54 PORT HUENEME, CA ANDREW SHLAPAK 5:54:57 SIMI VALLEY, CA STEVEN HAUSER 5:55:12 CAMARILLO, CA JACK NOSCO 5:56:04 NEWBURY PARK, CA UN CHONG HWANG 5:56:26 OXNARD, CA DEBBIE BURGEE 5:56:35 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA CHRIS BURGEE 5:56:36 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA AMANDA MURRY 5:57:30 MOORPARK, CA GERLY TOREJA 5:58:03 OXNARD, CA ELISABETH TRASK 5:58:19 THOUSAND OAKS, CA JIM VILLA 5:58:19 VENTURA, CA DEAN JOAQUIN 5:59:11 SIMI VALLEY, CA JOHANNA MULLEN 5:59:51 CAMARILLO, CA JULIE STAFFORD 6:00:07 SIMI VALLEY, CA TIN WAI KWAN 6:00:10 NEWBURY PARK, CA LUCIA LEMIEUX 6:00:21 THOUSAND OAKS, CA CHRISTIAN MELGAR 6:01:08 THOUSAND OAKS, CA QUOC NGO 6:02:26 CAMARILLO, CA KENNETH FONG 6:03:17 CAMARILLO, CA JACKIE WILLRODT 6:04:58 MOORPARK, CA PAUL VAUGHAN 6:04:59 THOUSAND OAKS, CA ARON FERNANDEZ 6:05:11 OXNARD, CA EDWARD POWELL 6:05:11 OJAI, CA MONICA ARAMBULA 6:05:24 MOORPARK, CA ERIKA ESTRADA 6:05:29 OXNARD, CA ROBERT STEPHENS 6:05:51 SIMI VALLEY, CA KEN CRAFT 6:06:13 THOUSAND OAKS, CA JANET GREATHOUSE 6:06:44 AGOURA HILLS, CA FRANCINE PITASSI 6:09:11 SIMI VALLEY, CA TAMIE STEWART 6:10:13 VENTURA, CA TIFFANY PHAM 6:11:16 MOORPARK, CA ALEXIS RAMIREZ 6:12:04 THOUSAND OAKS, CA LORNA WEST 6:12:38 THOUSAND OAKS, CA CJ DONALDSON 6:12:46 OXNARD, CA MIREYA RODRIGUEZ 6:13:07 OXNARD, CA LORETTA MITCHELL 6:13:10 PORT HUENEME, CA KEN TOMIMITSU 6:13:25 CAMARILLO, CA ERICK RODRIGUEZ 6:13:25 CAMARILLO, CA JEFF ROBERTS 6:13:45 VENTURA, CA SUZANNE RIGGIO 6:14:10 SIMI VALLEY, CA JAYME RIGGIO 6:14:10 SIMI VALLEY, CA CYNTHIA CONWAY 6:16:04 SIMI VALLEY, CA BOB MCQUAID 6:16:49 THOUSAND OAKS, CA KELLEY CHARLTON 6:16:55 THOUSAND OAKS, CA HARLEY JANE KOZAK 6:17:55 AGOURA HILLS, CA JENNY BARNARD 6:19:19 SIMI VALLEY, CA JAMES NEITZ 6:19:19 VENTURA, CA SELETA DOBROSKY 6:21:26 FILLMORE, CA CHRISTOPHER BORGESON 6:22:26 MOORPARK, CA RAY PELONE 6:22:42 SIMI VALLEY, CA ALFREDO OROZCO 6:22:50 MOORPARK, CA GREGORY WHITNEY 6:24:57 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA SCOTT KETELHUT 6:26:25 CAMARILLO, CA KARLA ALCARAZ 6:26:43 OXNARD, CA MEG MCCORMICK 6:27:00 OJAI, CA CAROL MCCORMICK 6:27:02 OJAI, CA JOHN COWART 6:31:09 SIMI VALLEY, CA JOHN CHUNG 6:31:20 VENTURA, CA DANIEL MESTAS 6:31:51 MOORPARK, CA MONICA AGUILAR 6:32:05 PORT HUENEME, CA MARIE STEVENSON 6:32:28 THOUSAND OAKS, CA HOMERO MAGANA 6:32:38 MOORPARK, CA WENDY MARINEZ 6:33:10 OXNARD, CA GABRIELA AGUILAR 6:33:11 OXNARD, CA MARTHA CERVANTES 6:33:11 VENTURA, CA RYAN MAYHEW 6:33:33 SIMI VALLEY, CA STEPHANIE MAYHEW 6:33:34 SIMI VALLEY, CA CLIFF HOUSEGO 6:34:29 CAMARILLO, CA KRYSTLE BUENCILLA 6:38:35 OXNARD, CA RICHARD CRATER 6:40:29 AGOURA HILLS, CA MARY JANE HUGHES 6:41:52 VENTURA, CA BEVERLY PALMBERG 6:42:49 SIMI VALLEY, CA RUDY MARIN 6:43:13 VENTURA, CA CHRISTINA POLINO 6:43:53 SIMI VALLEY, CA LARRY IRVIN 6:44:45 THOUSAND OAKS, CA MARK SUZUMOTO 6:45:51 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA FREIDRICH MUNOZ 6:46:22 SIMI VALLEY, CA JASPER TADIAMAN 6:46:45 OXNARD, CA RANDY WATKINS 6:47:58 SIMI VALLEY, CA BRUCE TAKEGUMA 6:48:57 NEWBURY PARK, CA THOMAS ENOCH GARCIA 6:50:16 PORT HUENEME, CA CORINNE LEE-TRETTEL 6:51:50 SIMI VALLEY, CA RAFAEL OCHOA 6:52:44 OXNARD, CA MIKE STEPHENS 6:53:59 SIMI VALLEY, CA NANCY CALDERONE 6:54:01 SIMI VALLEY, CA MICHELE CASTILLO 6:56:09 VENTURA, CA GUILLE ESPINOZA 6:57:24 VENTURA, CA LORRAINE CRANE 6:59:54 CAMARILLO, CA PHILIP ANKROM 7:00:57 SIMI VALLEY, CA YUYI TSAI 7:02:44 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA TOSHIKO SEKIZAWA 7:02:46 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA CHARLOTTE LEE RAMOS 7:05:19 OXNARD, CA SHARON FRANCIS 7:06:57 CAMARILLO, CA JERI WILLIAMS 7:12:25 SIMI VALLEY, CA LARRY TRAGER 7:13:00 SIMI VALLEY, CA MEGHAN RIEDMILLER 7:14:35 CAMARILLO, CA PATRICIA AYALA 7:14:40 AGOURA HILLS, CA JAMIE DAVIS 7:14:41 AGOURA HILLS, CA ERIN CARIKER 7:15:38 SIMI VALLEY, CA MICHAEL BUNCH 7:15:41 SIMI VALLEY, CA GILBERT RAMOS JR 7:16:04 OXNARD, CA AURELIO FELIX 7:18:23 SIMI VALLEY, CA YUKIO OKANO 7:19:45 OXNARD, CA STACY HARRIS 7:20:07 AGOURA HILLS, CA PHYLLIS HALLOWELL 7:20:26 MOORPARK, CA DOMENIC FOLI 7:21:07 THOUSAND OAKS, CA SHARON GELLER 7:21:16 THOUSAND OAKS, CA GERALDSON CARPO 7:21:18 PORT HUENEME, CA AMIE YAMBAO 7:21:18 PORT HUENEME, CA DAN BLEICH 7:21:50 OXNARD, CA SUSAN ADAMICH 7:25:34 VENTURA, CA JAMIE HIGGINS 7:25:53 SIMI VALLEY, CA MAURICE HIGGINS IV 7:25:54 SIMI VALLEY, CA LISA HEMENWAY 7:26:18 SIMI VALLEY, CA ANDREA KEMP 7:27:05 THOUSAND OAKS, CA KATHY NASH 7:28:24 MOORPARK, CA ROSIE GOMES 7:28:43 SIMI VALLEY, CA BRIAN SOARES 7:31:25 OXNARD, CA STACEY SOARES 7:31:27 OXNARD, CA TODD ANDERSON 7:31:56 CAMARILLO, CA VANESSA OLMOS 7:35:11 SANTA PAULA, CA JANE BROWN 7:35:15 OXNARD, CA CARYL KRISTENSEN 7:39:28 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA ESMERALDA COVARRUBIAS 7:41:56 CAMARILLO, CA RICHARD VARELA JR 7:46:58 OXNARD, CA CAROL PILKINGTON 7:50:09 OJAI, CA D TOPILTZIN SANCHEZ 7:53:41 VENTURA, CA DONALD VILLAFANA 7:54:04 OXNARD, CA JACK MILNER 7:54:29 CAMARILLO, CA CYNTHIA MONTES 7:55:16 MOORPARK, CA BRIAN MESSNER 7:58:02 MOORPARK, CA ALICIA MIRAMONTEZ 7:58:54 OXNARD, CA DESOLYN YORKE 8:01:52 SIMI VALLEY, CA TODD BEGUELIN 8:08:13 VENTURA, CA ANDREA BEGUELIN 8:08:13 VENTURA, CA MELISSA ACAYAN 8:09:02 OXNARD, CA SUSIE MCMASTER 8:11:49 NEWBURY PARK, CA LAUREN KORT 8:12:12 WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA REGINA REMOLACIO 8:21:38 SIMI VALLEY, CA GREGORY COLE 8:29:42 THOUSAND OAKS, CA

Running Down the Potrero Grade Means You Have to Run Back Up

Without any particular marathon goals in mind, I've been running at a casual pace, mostly with camera in hand, for the past year. This past Saturday, on a whim I decided to run from Newbury Park down the Potrero Grade to CSU Channel Islands (CI)...and back.

It wasn't a particularly great day for running long, as the Santa Anas were drying things up after recent storms and, starting my run around 9 a.m., the heat played a bit of a factor. With water bottle, a single GU pack and my camera in hand, off I went.

For those of you not familiar with Potrero Road, it is a moderately treacherous, yet nicely paved, two lane road that links Newbury Park with Camarillo and the Oxnard Plain. It drops about 1,000 feet from Dos Vientos to CI. The top portion has a few tight twists and turns, with minimal shoulder space in these sections. Bottom line is, most runners I know have never, and will never, attempt running Potrero Road (I do know one crazy guy who has run it...John, I'm talking about you).

It was a bright, clear day and I felt confident that passing automobiles and motorcycles (and cyclists) would clearly see me running and not bash into me, ruining what otherwise was a pretty nice day. I survived to type this.

My water bottle was empty before I hit the bottom of the grade. But the good news is that I found a drinking fountain at a park on the east end of CI, near the student housing. Funny how good lukewarm water tastes on a warm day after running 9 miles. I downed my single GU pack and moved along, back towards Potrero.

Back up the grade from just above CSU Channel Islands

The trek back up the grade was slow and steady. Having no long runs under my belt of late, combined with the steady climb, made this a bit more challenging than my body could endure. I used to pride myself on being a badass...someone who only stops running if a bodily function, injury, or emergency situation arises...not so this Saturday. I stopped for walk breaks off and on starting with the really steep part of the climb. It was a survival game for me.

Luckily there's a dirt shoulder next to most of the Potrero Grade

Alternating running with walking up the hill allowed me to see things the speeding cars can't see so much, like this truck at the bottom of the canyon adjacent to the road. Not a particularly good place to park, one would think. Would be interesting to learn the history behind this truck.

All told, I made it back to the start in 2 1/2 hours. The run/walk was about 17 miles, so while much slower than my typical training run pace, it felt good to have completed this trek for the first time.

Needless to say, I was pretty sore the next day, heightened by the fact that I took the kids bowling in the afternoon.

22nd Year of Running in the Books: Another Average to Mediocre Year

2014 was the 22nd year that I've run on a consistent basis, the 21st full year; I started a third of the way into the year in 1993.

I've been tracking my mileage in an Excel spreadsheet since sometime in 1993 when I decided it would be more effective than tracking solely in my day planner. Actually, I do both. I attempt to jot down my approximate mileage and time spent running in my planner book, then at some point in time I type this information into the spreadsheet.

Life in the Fast Lane: My 22 year old Running Excel Spreadsheet.

Years ago I would update the spreadsheet on a weekly, sometimes even daily, basis. I would go back and look at my training in the weeks/months prior to a marathon and analyze what worked and what I should change. I would make notes in the spreadsheet, now 1.8 megabytes in size, about if I was sick, injured, traveling or sore on a given day.  Sometimes I would go back and review these notes, but not often. 

Now it is a chore updating this spreadsheet as things are quite different for me...married, with kids, busy, busy. For the last several years I update the entire year's worth of running data at the end of the year and it is something I don't particularly look forward to doing. A chore and a bore. BUT...I'm glad I forced myself to track my mileage for so long over the years because I'll know when I need to trade in my body, which has now logged over 53,000 miles.

I vaguely recalled years ago that Excel spreadsheets have certain finite number of rows that could theoretically require me to create a second sheet at some point. I decided to look it up.

Back in the day, versions of Excel up to 7.0 limited the number of rows to 16,384, which would mean that I'd have to create a separate spreadsheet when I'm 73 years old (my spreadsheet is currently near 8,000 rows).

But versions 8.0 through 11.0 quadrupled the maximum rows to 65,536 (and 256 columns) and version 12.0, which is what I now use, expanded that by a factor of 16, to 1,048,576 rows (along with 16,384 columns). So I can safely say that my current spreadsheet,will suffice for tracking my time into the twilight of my life.

2014: How Was It? Mediocre at best. I ran zero marathons in 2014, having to bail on the Los Angeles Marathon after tweaking my right hamstring/sciatic nerve in a half marathon training run.

I actually had a pretty good start to the year, having run a pretty solid 1:24 half marathon off of moderate training, 3 weeks prior to the injury. And then in early April I was able to run a slightly sub-38 minute 10K. But my motivation level dropped and my 50th birthday mid-year travels and fun made it ever more challenging to train for anything.

So it was a pretty uneventful year of running, but I managed to rake in 2,123 miles on the trails and roads. So far 2015 has not been much different...but I'm still running, and that's a good thing.

Today's run up Powerline (Edison) Trail. Danger Ahead? Steep Dropoff? Nah. Just enjoying the view.

Results of 5th Annual Camarillo Marathon on Sunday, January 4th

The 5th Annual Camarillo Marathon took place last Sunday. This flat, two loop course the first Sunday of the year had a bit of a small turnout, but between the full and half marathon, 10K and 5K, close to 500 people turned out this cool morning.

You don't see this too often, but the winning time was just over 3 hours (and 37 seconds). 2nd and 3rd place overall came in at 3:04 and 3:07 for the men. The top 3 women finished in 3:26, 3:29 and 3:30.

It's not like a sub-3 hour performance on this course is not possible. Last year's overall winner was a 27 year old woman in 2:52, some 15 minutes faster than the 2nd place overall finisher, a male. The race was in hot, windy conditions.

113 folks completed this year's marathon, up from 79 in the previous year.

More at www.camarillomarathon.com.

Finished Half of a Half Marathon Last Sunday and Ran Trails on Christmas

This past Sunday, I ran half of the Holly Jolly Half Marathon in Camarillo, ending the year of racing with a thud. So why is there a photo of a Santa to the Sea bib number below? More on that later.

The bib number that I did not wear

Why just half of a half marathon? Why not just run the 10K or 5K? Because I fully intended to run the full half marathon until my right hamstring gave me grief about 3 miles into the race. Not a sharp pain or pull or anything; just a tightness and soreness that gradually shortened my stride and caused some discomfort.

This was a low key local half marathon/10K/5K in Camarillo, mostly flat, about 80% on roads, 20% on a bike path, double loop course. I signed up for the half marathon about 4 days prior because earlier in the year I had purchased an entry into the Santa to the Sea Half Marathon on December 14th. That half marathon I didn't even make it to.

Let's go further back. On Saturday, the 13th, my wife requested that I put up additional Christmas decorations in the front yard. Somehow I managed to tweak my lower back while working on the candy canes. My back is not very forgiving...later that night I determined I would not be able to run 13.1 miles in the morning.

2014: A year that I turned 50 years old and...felt it! A year that had some promise at the beginning, but quickly fell into an abyss of lower back and sciatic nerve problems.

While the year was not a great one for my racing, I did manage a sub 38 minute 10K back in April and for the most part I've stayed healthy and my injuries, although frequent, were dealt with expeditiously.

So, back to last Sunday. This low key race started out fine. In fact, I found myself in the lead at mile 1, where I looked at my watch and saw 6:24. This pace seemed perfectly fine to me. It translates into a 1:24 half marathon, on par with the half marathon time I ran in February.

A younger fellow passed me by shortly after that first mile, and I made no attempt to stick with him. Having not done a wink of speedwork or shorter distance races for many months, I did not feel another gear in my transmission. But soon thereafter the sciatic nerve issue that caused me not to run the 2014 Los Angeles Marathon reared its ugly head.

The beauty of a double loop course is that it gives you the opportunity to call it a day mid-way into the race and move along with your day. That's just what I did. Having experienced this same hamstring / sciatic nerve issue in the past, I took it in (diminished) stride, stopped, stretched and drove off to enjoy the rest of the beautiful day that it was.

I do believe that sitting too much is not helping my problem. So I get up as often as I can, change chairs, sit on a pillow, occasionally work while kneeling on the ground on a pillow, etc. The issue appears to be a chronic one as it has taken me out of a number of races in recent years, so I'm grappling with how to deal with it. I do find my chiropractor is able to help. Perhaps more stretching would help.

BUT...today is Christmas, and after spending the morning with the family, I was able to take off for an hour long run on the trails, injury free. Just getting out there, running without pain, was enough for me to not have a care about the mediocrity which was the last 8 months of my racing, or lack thereof.

Trails like this take me to my happy place, regardless of how my latest race went.

Results From the 6th Annual Santa Barbara Veterans Day Marathon

The 6th Annual Santa Barbara Veterans Day Marathon and Half Marathon took place last Sunday, November 8th. 

The top 5 male finishers were Sammy Cheruiyot Mutai (sounds Kenyan to me) in 2:31:40, followed by Damon Valenzona (2:34:29), Van McCarty (2:36:33 - also top Master's runner), Jonathan Corley (2:41:17) and Jason Smith (2:46:09).

The top 5 females were Paige Burgin (10th overall) in 3:06:38, followed by Jennifer Marquardt (12th overall) in 3:10:07, Jill Christ (3:14:58), Deanna Odell (3:19:41 - also top Master's runner) and Hillary Shaw (3:19:50).

There were 8 sub-3 hour finishers out of 856 who finished the 26.2 mile distance, which to me is a bit on the low side.

In fact, my 3:16 time in the inaugural race in 2009 barely landed me into the top 100 runners, whereas that time in the 2014 edition would have placed me in the top 20. My how times change (both literally and figuratively).

Next year's event is planned for Sunday, November 7, 2015. Register at sbmarathon.com.

2014 Ventura Marathon and Beach Party Celebrate Record Success

In its second year, the Ventura Marathon and Beach Party reached record numbers, drawing over 3,200 participants from 34 states and nine countries.

Overall marathon winners were Dirian Lenin Bonilla who ran a 2:32:34 (5:49 per mile pace) and Bonnie Axman Keating who finished in 2:45:15 (6:18 pace).

The men’s half marathon was won by Westlake Village resident Sean Gildea who ran a 1:08:04 (5:12 pace.) The women’s half-marathon title was won by Allison Maxson in 1:15:57 (5:48 pace).

The 2014 event raised over $25,000 for local schools and charities including Pier Into The Future, the Humane Society of Ventura County, Autism Society Ventura County, Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation for Childhood Cancer, Max Cure Foundation, the Rotary Club of Ventura, and over one dozen local school groups and teams.

Race director Josh Spiker was particularly excited about the event's support of local charities and programs and gives thanks to the over 700 volunteers that made the event such a success.

The flat and fast course took runners and walkers through the cities of Ventura, Oxnard and Port Hueneme before culminating at the beachfront finish of the historic Ventura Pier.

The event included a full two-day beach party which featured over 60 vendors, food trucks, a beer garden by Firestone, seven live bands and various kids’ activities.

For more info or to check on updates about next year’s event, go to VenturaMarathon.com.

The event is managed by Vendurance Sports, a Ventura County-based running club and event management company aiming to bring high-quality, well-organized and affordable events to the region.