2008 Year in Review

What I learned about myself:
5. I can do endurance events. Lots of running friends said I wasn't built for endurance. You can do anything if you really want to.
4. I really enjoy the triathlon and I love to train.
3. I need more carbs, hydration and electrolytes than anyone I know.
2. Anything less than 2.5 hrs. does not feel like a workout anymore.
1. I can go farther and faster.

Two dissapointments:
2. Suffered a severe bonk at Way Too Cool. Needed an IV at the finish line, and gave my friends a real scare.
1. Did not PR at 5K, 10K, 1/2 marathon, marathon...but came very close.

Five biggest accomplishments:
5. My swim around the Santa Cruz pier at the Sentinel Tri. I took nearly 10 mins. off last year's time.
4. Winning my division at the Sandman Tri. It may never happen again.
3. Vineman 70.3 -- my first half ironman, but also felt good for having found a way to finish the race after two flat tires.
2. 3 ultras, including American River 50 -- that's 50 miles, people. I even qualified for Western States 100!
1. Easily my proudest moment as my 7-yr. old son Cayman won the 7 - 8 age group in his very first triathlon.

2009 Transrockies Run

Last week, my training partner Kevin and I signed up for the 2009 Transrockies Run - 125 miles over 6 days in the Colorado Rockies. What were we thinking?

At this month's meeting of our running club, Kevin asked if anyone else was interested in running across the Rocky Mountains next summer. I wasn't there, but I imagined most people didn't quite understand what he was proposing, and our club treasurer simply replied, "what the hell?!"

When I considered this event many months ago, I felt a bit out of my league. Any athletic endeavor spanning six days and rewarded with $20,000 in prize money should be restricted to well-trained athletes who don't have real jobs. I pictured myself lining up at the start line with other adventure racers, fast packers and ultra marathoners, all entering the event not just to complete it, but to race and win. I could imagine the looks as they sized me up and wondered, "what the hell is he doing here?"

Then I made the mistake of checking out the web site. Suddenly, the event seemed manageable, and enticing. Fully catered meals, massage service, and a staff who tears down and sets up camp for you each day. I checked out the elevation maps for each day. It is designed carefully to let you acclimate to running long distances...with very litte oxygen. I fear we have woefully underestimated the hardship of actually running at an elevation of 8,000 - 12,000 feet.

But there comes a point when deciding on any event where you just know if you're going to do it. For me, it is not normally a series of logical choices that lead to the decision. I often back into it by removing the impediments. Float it out to my wife a couple times very innocuously to test the waters. Make sure I can do it with my work schedule. Fill the race schedule with other events that lead up to the main event. Make the decision, figure out later how to train for it. I always ask myself, "if you don't do it, will you wish you did?" Consider the people you will meet, the scenery you will take in, the experience you will always remember.

Today, I flew over the Rocky Mountains on a flight from Chicago. Talk about delusional. From 39,000 feet, anything seems possible. So, what were we thinking when we signed up? An epic adventure.

PCT Stinson Beach 30K

I have run many of the Pacific Coast Trail runs. None of them are easy. All of them are held in places with breathtaking scenery. Stinson Beach on Nov. 15 was no exception.

I wasn't expecting the winding mountain road that leads from Hwy. 101 to the coast. But consider early in the 19th century the area was accessible only by sailing schooner from San Francisco, by horseback to San Rafael, or on foot over the Dipsea Trail. It's still a sleepy resort community.

The drive made me a bit car sick, and even after arriving 30 mins. before the race, it took me 45 mins. into the race to shed the effects of the disorienting drive. The first five miles of the run is nearly all uphill. I wasn't out to run hard so I chose to walk in many places and enjoy the cooling effects of the riparian ecosystem. The early going was some of the most beautiful, running along a creek bed, through redwood forest, and climbing the "Ladder" to scale a part of the trail.

The middle section is the easiest trail running anywhere. From the summit of the first peak, it was a 45-min. downhill run through sweeping vistas of the Bay Area. I could see Tiburon and Belvedere, Angel Island and San Francisco, and a panoramic view of the cliffs along the Pacific Ocean.

I was very mindful that we were running portions of the famous Dipsea Trail and the Miwok Trail, both known as very challenging courses. And I proved to be entirely out of trail shape for the second climb of the 30K. I walked for 45 mins. but didn't mind at all. I was also surprised with the number of fallen trees across the trail. In a couple places, it looked like the entire mountain side had collapsed, leaving many trees bent over or completely uprooted. It added an additional measure of maneuvering to the already technical terrain.

The smartest thing I did was take two salt tablets in the latter half of the run. I knew it was going to be warm and I had regretted not taking salt tablets at the Silicon Valley Marathon. This time I was more prepared for the heat, but I underestimated how long it would take to finish. I was thinking 3 hrs., 15 mins. I finished in just over four hours.

About four miles from the finish as a group of us were running the single-track, I heard someone take a hard fall behind me. I stopped to see a woman who had taken a deep cut to her knee. I let her have my bandana which she used to wrap her wound. Two passing hikers offered to walk her down to the finish. I'm hoping she made it. She clearly needed stitches but the last two miles were very technical with steep steps.

I would have been happy just doing the 20K, but Stinson Beach was a great training run to kick off the ultra season. I need to decide how many trail runs I really want to do. Anything over 30K is a full day commitment, but there's no place I'd rather run than a good trail.

2009 Race Schedule

01/24 Mission 10 San Juan Bautista
02/01 San Francisco Half Marathon
03/01 Napa Valley Marathon
04/18 Tierra Bella 100K
04/25 Pat's Run
04/26 Skyline to Sea 50K
05/02 Wildflower Triathlon (70.3)
05/17 Uvas Triathlon
05/30 Shadow of the Giants 54K
06/21 Silicon Valley Olympic Triathlon
06/20 PCT Pacifica 50K
07/xx Sandman Triathlon
07/18 PCT Sequoia 50K
08/01 Vineman Ironman
08/23 - 28 Transrockies Run
09/xx Triathlon at Pacific Grove
09/19 Tahoe Big Blue Adventure Race
10/04 San Jose Rock n Roll Half Marathon
10/xx Bizz Johnson Marathon (qualify for Boston)