There is a distinct advantage in not having to travel far for a race. I think that is especially true when it comes to the marathon, even one that is a mere tune up for a later race.
Such was the case today at the City of Trees Marathon right here in Boise. The start was just three miles from home, an easy ten minute or so drive. One might suppose I could have made an ultra of it by running to the start and running home after the race, but I wasn't feeling that ambitious. A marathon is still a long way to go.
I arrived at the start with a good 40 minutes before race commencement. The rain showers of the day before seemed gone for good with clear skies, calm winds and temperatures in the mid to upper 40s. In short, a perfect day for a marathon. My goal for the day was to not kill myself, but try to run a good portion of the race at my proposed pace for Detroit in two weeks where I will be pacing the 3:10 group. A few last minute instructions by the race director, and we were off right at the scheduled 8am time.
The course truly was an excellent tour of Boise, with panoramic views of the Boise Mountains to the north interspersed with trips through more established neighborhoods. I passed through mile 5 at about 7:40 pace and started to slowly pick things up coming down Amity Road up to Federal Way back into downtown. The 7:15 pace felt comfortable, though not effortless, but the difference in pace on a relatively flat course made the time fly by.
I had passed a few aid stations, once every two miles or so, though I hadn't taken any calories in the form of sports drink or gels. By about mile 13, I was wondering if that was something that may have been overlooked and was in some need for some measure of sustenance. That one volunteer's roast beef sandwich was starting to look pretty good. In the worst possible scenario, I would run home and grab something, since that was a one mile diversion from the course about mile 15. Don't think I didn't believe that wasn't an option.
The mile 17 aid station finally had something, though it was just an electrolyte supplement. While it did help, it wasn't much. Fortunately, from here it was a mere nine miles, and I knew I would be fine from here. Though that Power Gel at mile 21 was much appreciated.
My wrong turn about mile 22 was quickly discovered right about the same time a fellow marathoner yelled something that sounded like "hey". I attempted to make some lame joke about adding my .02 of a mile, just to make sure I ran the full distance. Silence. Maybe it was the headphones she was wearing, maybe she was in too much pain to respond, or maybe she didn't think it was funny. So much for my lame attempt at humor.
The last three or so miles were on familiar territory, the Greenbelt. This is a long run staple, mostly because it is flat and motorized traffic free. Julia Davis Park is where the half marathoners merged with the full, only two miles to go. I caught my boss, Terry, running with his son James in the half (they started an hour later) and said a quick hello. Easy on into the finish in a shade over 3:15.
I enjoyed this race; it brings me back to when I came to Boise six years ago to run it. Now, as a resident of the city, I have a much greater appreciation for it considering how the route seemed so familiar even if it was different from the time I ran it before. I feel pleased with the effort and that I don't feel too bad this evening as I type these words. I'm hoping this bodes well for Detroit in a couple of weeks.
Maybe they'll have some form of sports drink up there...
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Lost Weekend
Sometimes we all have days like I experienced this weekend.
Friday morning I had a good swim with the local Master's group and went to work when my stomach started to do flips. And not in a good way. A couple of yak sessions later, I decided to head home early. With a temp of 101 measured later that night, I wasn't much in the mood for anything except a whole lot of sleep. Good thing I worked my swim in early.
Saturday was better, Kristen and I went down to the Hyde Park Street Fair and enjoyed the idiosyncrasies of the North End. I still wasn't much for eating anything, so my pitcher of Gatorade was my temporary best friend. I was able to mow the lawn in the evening, so at least I wasn't getting worse.
Sunday was supposed to be a good 20+ miler three weeks before City of Trees. I settled for an easy 9 miler at about 8:00 pace, a good bit slower than the "typical" long run tempo, but still relaxed and not stressed. I was just happy to get out for a few miles at any pace.
Still feeling queasy for today's morning speed session, I opted for the 4x1200m with one lap recovery. I knew on the first repeat it wasn't going to be my morning, but I stuck with it and finished the workout a good piece slower than I could have on a "better" day. Maybe I'll start feeling more like my running self in a couple of days.
On a different note, I finally picked up my new Adidas Supernova Controls. I must say, I'm impressed, they feel quite a bit lighter than the previous version with a more glove-like fit. I've always been an Asics man, but now I finally have a shoe I think I can rotate in on a regular basis.
As for the Twin Falls Triathlon, lack of participation has forced the cancellation for this year. So that will effectively end the triathlon season, though there is still the Hidden Springs Duathlon on Sept. 27th. This will be only my 2nd duathlon, well, ever, and the first wasn't out of choice since the swim was canceled and turned into a 5K run. I need that swim to make up for the time that I lose on the bike! We'll see what happens...
Friday morning I had a good swim with the local Master's group and went to work when my stomach started to do flips. And not in a good way. A couple of yak sessions later, I decided to head home early. With a temp of 101 measured later that night, I wasn't much in the mood for anything except a whole lot of sleep. Good thing I worked my swim in early.
Saturday was better, Kristen and I went down to the Hyde Park Street Fair and enjoyed the idiosyncrasies of the North End. I still wasn't much for eating anything, so my pitcher of Gatorade was my temporary best friend. I was able to mow the lawn in the evening, so at least I wasn't getting worse.
Sunday was supposed to be a good 20+ miler three weeks before City of Trees. I settled for an easy 9 miler at about 8:00 pace, a good bit slower than the "typical" long run tempo, but still relaxed and not stressed. I was just happy to get out for a few miles at any pace.
Still feeling queasy for today's morning speed session, I opted for the 4x1200m with one lap recovery. I knew on the first repeat it wasn't going to be my morning, but I stuck with it and finished the workout a good piece slower than I could have on a "better" day. Maybe I'll start feeling more like my running self in a couple of days.
On a different note, I finally picked up my new Adidas Supernova Controls. I must say, I'm impressed, they feel quite a bit lighter than the previous version with a more glove-like fit. I've always been an Asics man, but now I finally have a shoe I think I can rotate in on a regular basis.
As for the Twin Falls Triathlon, lack of participation has forced the cancellation for this year. So that will effectively end the triathlon season, though there is still the Hidden Springs Duathlon on Sept. 27th. This will be only my 2nd duathlon, well, ever, and the first wasn't out of choice since the swim was canceled and turned into a 5K run. I need that swim to make up for the time that I lose on the bike! We'll see what happens...
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Take "5"
After last week's 30K 'round Payette Lake, I opted for the softer side of Boise and the foothills trails for this week's long run. As a change of pace (no pun intended), I took the Military Connector over to the Reserve trail system and up Trail 5 instead of the tortuous climb up Hulls Ridge. This climb is far more gradual, though still challenging, and offers great views of mountains and ravines all around. Of course, this eventually connects up to Hulls Ridge and the nasty hike up to the Zen Grove (five pine trees that offer shade in a very exposed landscape). From here the trail levels out a bit in the 5400' elevation range and the first glimpses of a different world to the north and east.
Here in Boise we have a tree line, but you have to climb to reach it. Much of that has to do with our precipitation patterns, as it snows a great deal here in winter and rains very little in summer, if at all. The snow pack can stick around for a while, particularly on north and east facing slopes, where pine trees grow (quite large) and the change from the desert landscape is most welcome.
Coming back through the burn area of '96, I connected back to Sunset Ridge (old logging road) and back down for a total run time of nearly three hours. Net elevation: about 7000'. I'll take the perfect weather, too.
After a short speed session this morning, I attended an afternoon conference up at our local ski area, Bogus Basin. It was a perfect opportunity to get out and enjoy the trails there afterwards, especially in sunny 70 degree weather. I opted for the one hour tour circumnavigating the ski hills with moderate elevation gain. A great way to cap off the day, even though I'm still a little sore from Sunday's quad pounding descent. No better way to work out the kinks...so I'll take the 12 or so miles on the day.
Here in Boise we have a tree line, but you have to climb to reach it. Much of that has to do with our precipitation patterns, as it snows a great deal here in winter and rains very little in summer, if at all. The snow pack can stick around for a while, particularly on north and east facing slopes, where pine trees grow (quite large) and the change from the desert landscape is most welcome.
Coming back through the burn area of '96, I connected back to Sunset Ridge (old logging road) and back down for a total run time of nearly three hours. Net elevation: about 7000'. I'll take the perfect weather, too.
After a short speed session this morning, I attended an afternoon conference up at our local ski area, Bogus Basin. It was a perfect opportunity to get out and enjoy the trails there afterwards, especially in sunny 70 degree weather. I opted for the one hour tour circumnavigating the ski hills with moderate elevation gain. A great way to cap off the day, even though I'm still a little sore from Sunday's quad pounding descent. No better way to work out the kinks...so I'll take the 12 or so miles on the day.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Payette Lake 30K
One rarely needs to make an excuse to visit the lovely central/west Idaho town of McCall. Sidled up to the south side of Payette Lake, McCall is one of those towns that provides outdoor recreation all year round. From skiing at Brundage in the winter to hiking and mountain biking in the summer, it's no wonder everyone in Boise seems to have a second home in the area.
Labor Day weekend afforded me the opportunity to get away for a couple of days with Kristen to do some of the aforementioned hiking and biking. But it also enabled me to participate in the circumnavigation of Payette Lake in the aptly named Payette Lake 30K. The 30K is one of those distances you just don't see all that often (they also offer an 8.6 miler and, for those who enjoy the shorter distances, a 5K). At a shade over 18.5 miles, it's no walk in the park, but it is a great training run for those looking at a marathon this fall.
My goal for this race was to run well within myself and put forth a good effort without killing my legs. Having run the course before, I knew what to expect: relatively flat for the first half, rolling and mostly unpaved for the second half. It's a lovely course with lots of trees and mountains in the distance and an occasional lake view.
Sunday morning dawned cloudy and rather chilly, upper 40s or so with a stiff breeze, far different from the upper 70s of the previous day. I warmed up with a mile or so from the hotel to the race start where I encountered Tony, a running acquaintance from Boise. We took another warm up mile, catching up on running exploits of the past few months. Tony is off to Boston next year as a result of his fine performance at RnR San Diego back in June, well done!
I had a few minutes to relax before the laid back start, when 100 or so souls set off to run the Payette Lake circuit. I started off running with Tony, the first mile passing in about 6:42, feeling a little sluggish, knowing my legs would kick in with a couple more miles. Six folks took off in the distance, receding further as the race wore on. I realized about mile three or so that the established distance markers were less than accurate, overall pretty close, but running 5:30 then 7:30 with little variation in my personal tempo made me suspicious. I knew Tony and I were right around 6:40-6:45 pace for the first 6 or 7 miles, right into a fairly stiff headwind, a good comfortable start for me.
I pass mile 9 in just under 1:01, where the road turned to dirt along the north side of the lake. Here is where the hills start, a couple of them quite nasty but very runnable. Tony starts to fall back, but I see 5th place ahead of me and decide to pick up the effort. The views of the lake here are just phenomenal, especially as we climb just a little. I pass 5th place through an aid station on the "nasty hill, who I learn later is Brian Baker, a very strong masters Boise runner.
I also start to catch the 8.6 mile race participants, as they started an hour later at our 10 mile mark. This serves as great motivation for this challenging section of the race. I'm still feeling pretty good at this point, maintaining pace on the hills.
We get back to honest to goodness pavement about mile 15, coming around the south side of the lake. I pick up the pace a little, into the 6:30s for a final finish along the southeast corner of Payette Lake. Here is where the course turns a bit more "urban" with many lakefront and near lakefront homes, not to mention the nearby Ponderosa State Park. A couple quick turns, and the finish is in view, 2:03:32 after I start.
I finished 4th overall, passing 4th at some point during the second half but not knowing it. While it wasn't as fast as I could have gone on this particular day, I feel good with the effort. It builds confidence for my 3:10 pacing gig in Detroit come the middle of October.
Labor Day weekend afforded me the opportunity to get away for a couple of days with Kristen to do some of the aforementioned hiking and biking. But it also enabled me to participate in the circumnavigation of Payette Lake in the aptly named Payette Lake 30K. The 30K is one of those distances you just don't see all that often (they also offer an 8.6 miler and, for those who enjoy the shorter distances, a 5K). At a shade over 18.5 miles, it's no walk in the park, but it is a great training run for those looking at a marathon this fall.
My goal for this race was to run well within myself and put forth a good effort without killing my legs. Having run the course before, I knew what to expect: relatively flat for the first half, rolling and mostly unpaved for the second half. It's a lovely course with lots of trees and mountains in the distance and an occasional lake view.
Sunday morning dawned cloudy and rather chilly, upper 40s or so with a stiff breeze, far different from the upper 70s of the previous day. I warmed up with a mile or so from the hotel to the race start where I encountered Tony, a running acquaintance from Boise. We took another warm up mile, catching up on running exploits of the past few months. Tony is off to Boston next year as a result of his fine performance at RnR San Diego back in June, well done!
I had a few minutes to relax before the laid back start, when 100 or so souls set off to run the Payette Lake circuit. I started off running with Tony, the first mile passing in about 6:42, feeling a little sluggish, knowing my legs would kick in with a couple more miles. Six folks took off in the distance, receding further as the race wore on. I realized about mile three or so that the established distance markers were less than accurate, overall pretty close, but running 5:30 then 7:30 with little variation in my personal tempo made me suspicious. I knew Tony and I were right around 6:40-6:45 pace for the first 6 or 7 miles, right into a fairly stiff headwind, a good comfortable start for me.
I pass mile 9 in just under 1:01, where the road turned to dirt along the north side of the lake. Here is where the hills start, a couple of them quite nasty but very runnable. Tony starts to fall back, but I see 5th place ahead of me and decide to pick up the effort. The views of the lake here are just phenomenal, especially as we climb just a little. I pass 5th place through an aid station on the "nasty hill, who I learn later is Brian Baker, a very strong masters Boise runner.
I also start to catch the 8.6 mile race participants, as they started an hour later at our 10 mile mark. This serves as great motivation for this challenging section of the race. I'm still feeling pretty good at this point, maintaining pace on the hills.
We get back to honest to goodness pavement about mile 15, coming around the south side of the lake. I pick up the pace a little, into the 6:30s for a final finish along the southeast corner of Payette Lake. Here is where the course turns a bit more "urban" with many lakefront and near lakefront homes, not to mention the nearby Ponderosa State Park. A couple quick turns, and the finish is in view, 2:03:32 after I start.
I finished 4th overall, passing 4th at some point during the second half but not knowing it. While it wasn't as fast as I could have gone on this particular day, I feel good with the effort. It builds confidence for my 3:10 pacing gig in Detroit come the middle of October.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Hot as Heck
Pretty typical weather for Boise this week, hot and dry with temps in the low to mid 90s. I hit the track on Tuesday morning for some of the fast stuff. The goal was one mile about 10K pace, 4x400, and finishing it off with another mile at around 5K pace. First mile went fairly slowly in 5:51, four quarters in 83, 81, 80 and 79. After that, I called it a morning and cooled down, as I just wasn't feeling it. I'll chalk it up to the past weekend's triathlon.
After an easy 5 on Weds. at lunch, I followed it up with Thursday morning hills, about 7 in the Highlands neighborhood north of town. Still felt a bit sluggish, but I sometimes expect that with an early wake up call.
I'm hoping for a good long run and ride sometime this weekend; maybe I can motivate myself to wake up early enough to beat the heat. Sunday it's off to Anaheim, CA for a conference, to return Weds. night. I've tried to scout out places to run in the Disney vicinity, but it's proving tough. Unless, that is, the surrounding parking lots have unusually pleasant scenery.
After an easy 5 on Weds. at lunch, I followed it up with Thursday morning hills, about 7 in the Highlands neighborhood north of town. Still felt a bit sluggish, but I sometimes expect that with an early wake up call.
I'm hoping for a good long run and ride sometime this weekend; maybe I can motivate myself to wake up early enough to beat the heat. Sunday it's off to Anaheim, CA for a conference, to return Weds. night. I've tried to scout out places to run in the Disney vicinity, but it's proving tough. Unless, that is, the surrounding parking lots have unusually pleasant scenery.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Emmett Triathlon
The nickname "Most Excellent" aptly describes my first triathlon of the year this past weekend.
This was my first triathlon as a Boise resident last year, when I finished 6th overall and somehow was able to not only win my age group (a rarity for me) but also win the prime for fastest overall run (a once in a lifetime rarity for me). At any rate, I knew the competition would be tougher this year, especially with my lack of time on the bike. But I knew my run fitness was quite good and I hadn't lost too much in the swim, so I thought a good race was quite possible.
My good buddy Brett from Portland, OR was in town for work this weekend and he was able to squeak in registration in the last hour. We headed up to Emmett (about 35 minutes north of Boise), parked at T2 (separate transition zones) and used the eight miles to T1 as a nice bike warm up. The air temperature was probably in the low 70s with threatening clouds, a bit warmer than last year. It did rain on us briefly, an unusual occurrence in SE Idaho for August. A brief wait for all of the buses to arrive, and we were off with a cannon shot!
I found clear water pretty quickly and used some random toes to guide me to the turn around. Water temp was quite nice, probably low to mid 70s, enough for a wetsuit, but there was no chance of overheating. I kept a nice, steady stroke on the last half of the slightly downstream portion and was able to finish in about 22:30 for the 1500m. Slightly faster than last year, but I think it may have been just a tad short.
Onto the bike, with a slow transition out of the wetsuit, when those insulating properties tend to conspire against me. This is by a good margin my weakest leg, so I just tried not to look too foolish for the nearly 25 mile ride. I expect folks to pass me, except on the uphills when I tend to be disproportionately strong compared to the flats and downs. The course is pretty flat with a couple of little climbs and a net downhill into downtown Emmett. Again, slightly faster than last year with a 1:08, or about a 22 mph average.
Now the run, where I tend to gain ground. The course is about as flat as you can get, but it is exposed with precious little shade and two laps around the Gem County sports complex, so the warm temps made for some slow times. I started out feeling a bit tired with the first couple miles around 6:15 or so. Fortunately I was able to hold that pace for the 10K and finish in about 39 minutes for a total time in the high 2:13s.
The kicker: I went from 6th overall last year to 16th this year with a faster time. I still managed to win my age group, though I would have been out of the top three in both the one ahead and the one behind. I felt like I had a good race, but most importantly I had fun. I feel like my desire to compete in triathlons has diminished over the years (15 years total since my first), but I get to racing and the familiar feelings return. There's one in Twin Falls next month which I am giving strong consideration to...
This was my first triathlon as a Boise resident last year, when I finished 6th overall and somehow was able to not only win my age group (a rarity for me) but also win the prime for fastest overall run (a once in a lifetime rarity for me). At any rate, I knew the competition would be tougher this year, especially with my lack of time on the bike. But I knew my run fitness was quite good and I hadn't lost too much in the swim, so I thought a good race was quite possible.
My good buddy Brett from Portland, OR was in town for work this weekend and he was able to squeak in registration in the last hour. We headed up to Emmett (about 35 minutes north of Boise), parked at T2 (separate transition zones) and used the eight miles to T1 as a nice bike warm up. The air temperature was probably in the low 70s with threatening clouds, a bit warmer than last year. It did rain on us briefly, an unusual occurrence in SE Idaho for August. A brief wait for all of the buses to arrive, and we were off with a cannon shot!
I found clear water pretty quickly and used some random toes to guide me to the turn around. Water temp was quite nice, probably low to mid 70s, enough for a wetsuit, but there was no chance of overheating. I kept a nice, steady stroke on the last half of the slightly downstream portion and was able to finish in about 22:30 for the 1500m. Slightly faster than last year, but I think it may have been just a tad short.
Onto the bike, with a slow transition out of the wetsuit, when those insulating properties tend to conspire against me. This is by a good margin my weakest leg, so I just tried not to look too foolish for the nearly 25 mile ride. I expect folks to pass me, except on the uphills when I tend to be disproportionately strong compared to the flats and downs. The course is pretty flat with a couple of little climbs and a net downhill into downtown Emmett. Again, slightly faster than last year with a 1:08, or about a 22 mph average.
Now the run, where I tend to gain ground. The course is about as flat as you can get, but it is exposed with precious little shade and two laps around the Gem County sports complex, so the warm temps made for some slow times. I started out feeling a bit tired with the first couple miles around 6:15 or so. Fortunately I was able to hold that pace for the 10K and finish in about 39 minutes for a total time in the high 2:13s.
The kicker: I went from 6th overall last year to 16th this year with a faster time. I still managed to win my age group, though I would have been out of the top three in both the one ahead and the one behind. I felt like I had a good race, but most importantly I had fun. I feel like my desire to compete in triathlons has diminished over the years (15 years total since my first), but I get to racing and the familiar feelings return. There's one in Twin Falls next month which I am giving strong consideration to...
Friday, August 8, 2008
The Olympics - Five Words/Phrases/People I'm Already Tired Of
With the quadrennial opening ceremonies of the 2008 Olympic Games tonight (or, rather, today), there are a number of items that have really become old quite quickly. Make no mistake, I truly enjoy the Olympics, the competition, the so-called human interest. But the intense scrutiny behind the larger "stories" sometimes wears thin. In no particular order:
1. China's "Bird's Nest" Stadium
Well, it is a stadium, and it is rather ugly. It doesn't look like a bird's nest, it looks like an Erector Set gone crazy. Plus I just can't seem to find a picture of it that doesn't have massive numbers of soldiers next to it.
2. China's "Coming Out" Party
This phrase seems to be used every four years for (insert city here). I'm rather familiar with China: we give them money, they give us stuff. Well worn phrase doesn't quite go far enough.
3. Michael Phelps
Look, this guy is a super fast swimmer, one of the greatest ever (size 26 feet help). But this obsession with gold medals and the "most ever" and "greatest Olympian of all time" is tiresome. Look at where this sort of hype got Marion Jones...
4. Smog/Pollution
Hey, guess what, Beijing is polluted, I'm shocked. Everyone deals with the same conditions, but in a country with some of the smoggiest cities in the world, did anyone really think the Chinese could mimic cool, alpine air and mountain breezes?
5. China's Human Rights Record
It's pretty miserable, for sure. But is this really a surprise? In a one party system of government, there's just one way of doing business. Maybe the Olympics will help, but forgive me if I remain skeptical. 2500 years of history tend to speak otherwise.
Citius, Altius, Fortius...
1. China's "Bird's Nest" Stadium
Well, it is a stadium, and it is rather ugly. It doesn't look like a bird's nest, it looks like an Erector Set gone crazy. Plus I just can't seem to find a picture of it that doesn't have massive numbers of soldiers next to it.
2. China's "Coming Out" Party
This phrase seems to be used every four years for (insert city here). I'm rather familiar with China: we give them money, they give us stuff. Well worn phrase doesn't quite go far enough.
3. Michael Phelps
Look, this guy is a super fast swimmer, one of the greatest ever (size 26 feet help). But this obsession with gold medals and the "most ever" and "greatest Olympian of all time" is tiresome. Look at where this sort of hype got Marion Jones...
4. Smog/Pollution
Hey, guess what, Beijing is polluted, I'm shocked. Everyone deals with the same conditions, but in a country with some of the smoggiest cities in the world, did anyone really think the Chinese could mimic cool, alpine air and mountain breezes?
5. China's Human Rights Record
It's pretty miserable, for sure. But is this really a surprise? In a one party system of government, there's just one way of doing business. Maybe the Olympics will help, but forgive me if I remain skeptical. 2500 years of history tend to speak otherwise.
Citius, Altius, Fortius...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
