seeing blue

So about a month ago, on a trip to the great white north, I was walking with my cousin on our way to the ROM when we passed by the bluest track I had ever seen. I guess it makes since this belongs to the University of Toronto, known in the collegiate circuit as the Varsity Blues.

Kinda makes you want to run around in circles, eh?

a pr day at san juan trail 50k

This is going to be part of a series of “catch-up” posts, one of a few ultra late recaps. The race was held on March 14, 2009, but sometimes life gets in the way of blogging which partly explains the gap of entries...

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When the week of the race came I was pretty excited about it. I wrote on my Facebook status that I was "looking forward to kicking off the ultra season with the SJT50K." Well wishers who knew what I was talking about sent me some cyber good luck.

I met Alexa at the Starbucks cafe on Ortega Hwy so she can follow me to the race start. We arrived in plenty of time to get our race bib, do some warmups and mingle with some of the runners we knew. We saw Lori S. who was running her first ultra with her friend, Rick. We took some pictures and after Baz's pre-race briefing, we were given the signal to start.

The first part of the course starts with the 9 miles to the Ortega Candy Store for the first aid station looping back to the campground for a total of 18. I was taking it easy for the first part of this run. By the time I reached the first aid station manned by Dawg and Annie, I caught up with rePete who was on a mission to have a "perfect" pi race, that is finish the race at 2:59pm. Race day was March 14. Of course math geeks would immediately make the connection that pi is 3.4259. Pete's just funny that way.

On the way back from the candy store, I was shadowed by another runner who I recognized to be Bud P. I was going faster than I'm normally accustomed to and in hindsight, I think this is where I may have let the race get away from me. I'd let myself forget that this was a long run and should've done a better job of pacing myself. Also I normally take an energy gel every 45 minutes of running but because I was so concerned about the runner behind me I neglected to do so. I could not keep the pace and had to let him pass me. By the time I got back to the campground for aid station 2 at mile 18, I was feeling pretty tired.

The next part of the race was essentially a repeat of the WTRS 21K. There was the climb up Main Divide, the drop down Trabuco Trail, and the hated crawl up W. Horsethief. It was nice to see T-Headz Keira, Jamison and Robert Schipsi working the aid stations cheering the runners and offering their support. During this part of the run, I also met and ran with Thomas K. who will be running Leona Divide 50M. This is also where rePete caught back up with me saying that he can make it. I said something to the effect of "He's inspired by math."

I usually save some kick for the end of the run for a strong finish, but on this day, I was pretty spent. Baz had already handed out top dog awards and was in the middle of doing his "world famous raffle" when I crossed the line.

21 y.o. Alexa told me of her 6:00 finish. Wow, she kicked my butt by almost an hour. I was impressed and wondered, what could her parents be feeding her, because I want some of that.

I did set a PR time of 6:52:32 going under 7 hours in a 50K. Then why did I place in 49th place out of only about 80 starters? I like to think that this was just a strong field which from the looks of many of the runners, it certainly was. But I also think that the course was shorter by at least a mile or so, at least according to my Garmin.

Race lesson:
Next time I really need to do a better job at sticking to my pace and my fueling schedule. Hydrate often and take my gels before I'm hungry to keep myself from bonking. Aim for a strong second half of the race–it seemed to have worked for me in the past.

Click here for my race day photos.
Click here for official RD recap.

hills, thrills and spills

What's an ultra without a little bit of these? Put them together and you've got adventure. Matt Hart of the Montrail team created this video montage that makes me want to just lace up and head for the hills.

UltraRunning from Matt Hart on Vimeo.

Sit back and enjoy while I procrastinate a bit more in writing some recaps and updating my blog.

Thanks to Bee for turning me on to this video.

twittering on leona?

Leona weekend is finally here, and I'll be running her tomorrow – 50 miles of what could be fun in the sun or pain in the membrane (whatever!) My last 50-miler was PCT50 near San Diego last year where I finished in almost 13 hours – not a great time considering my previous 50-miler was under 11 hours. My goal for tomorrow is to finish under 12 hours.

My strategy is to enjoy the course the first 25-30 miles or so then turn it up the last 20 if I have the energy and the fortitude left to do so. To get my mind off the length of the run, I intend to twitter and post some pics also. I'm hoping that my carrier will give me some bars along the course.

Follow my run at LD50 here: http://twitter.com/e_rod

Happy trails!!

cross-training notes

Although I knew I was going to run the SJT 50K this year, it was hard to feel very confident about it. I had to miss some runs due to recurring issues with my shin splints and tendonitis. To make up for those lost runs I put in double time at the gym, taking spinning classes immediately followed by an hour of laps at the pool. I sometimes threw in some weight and core work into the mix. On days when I've felt especially motivated I've spent up to three hours at the gym usually early in the morning before I start work.

As a result I feel that my conditioning has improved even when I had to stay off my feet to help my body recover from whatever may be ailing it.

Running is still my favorite workout, though it is nice to know that when I have to take a break from it, there are other forms of training I can use so that I'm able to maintain my fitness level.

socal trail headz new member run

I usually don't do anything running-related on Sundays as a means of taking a break and avoiding burnout, but decided on the day after the WTRS 21K to join the SoCal Trail Headz for a new member run at Peters Canyon. It is a monthly event intended to welcome potential new members and includes a fun trail run anywhere from 2 to 7 miles or however long you wish There were 13 of them that morning, all of whom signed up to join the group. I went out for a mild 4 mile jog/walk with 11 y.o. Jake; my back was sore from my tumble the day before (sure, sure).

It was a fun Sunday morning–one that I look forward to doing again.

Visit the SoCal Trail Headz site for more info about upcoming new member runs, races and other events.

Photo courtesy of Croc Lo.

that's a wrap, folks – 2009 wtrs 21k

The last of four races from Baz's Winter Trail Series on Feb. 21 was also the longest at about 13 miles with approximately 3,470 feet of elevation gain. It started out at Blue Jay Campground, climbed up the dirt road to the Main Divide where runners descend down a steep single track down approximately two miles of the Trabuco Trail before heading up the dreaded W. Horsethief Trail to connect back with the Main Divide again. It then looped back to the campground for the finish.

Unlike the last three races where we've had less than ideal conditions–either wind, rain, or mud– this day we had a near perfect combination of sunshine and cool weather. I was anxious to do well this day since I didn't have a spectacular day at the 18K.

At the start I set an easy comfortable pace. I had to move aside to use the bathroom and was soon behind most of the pack, not where I wanted to be. While going up Main Divide to the top of Trabuco, I could tell that my hill running still needed plenty of work. While I had hoped that I could jog slowly up to ridge, I had to slow myself to a walk. I finally made it up to the top of Trabuco Trail where fellow Headz, Kirk F. was manning the aid station. I said a quick "hi"and sped down the trail to try to make up some time. As I had mentioned before, Trabuco is a steep descent and its loose rocks could prove it to be treacherous. I passed a few runners, but no less than a half-mile from the aid station, my foot hit a rock which refused to budge and down I went. Mike B. and Kristen T. witnessed my spectacular fall from grace and helped me up. I had to gather my wits about me and walked down the trail for a few minutes before I felt comfortable enough to start running down again.







I eventually made it to the bottom of the trail, then up W. Horsethief, then connecting back with the Main Divide, and finishing at the campground where most of the runners have already gathered.

My official time was 2:41:42 , finishing 99th out of 127 runners. It definitely could've been better but considering that I'd only been back from my injury for two months I gave myself a bit of slack.

Runners who complete all four races earn the "coveted" race sweatshirt. After crossing the line, I promptly made my way to the "official" race trailer and collected my swag.

Since I'd been spending every other weekend at a Baz race for the last 6 weeks, I felt a bit melancholic that the race was over. I gave Baz a hug before I left, thanked him and told him I'll see him in a month for the San Juan Trail 50K.

Read Baz's official recap of the race here.

Photos snagged from the official website.