FMRC Elite Team

Brazen NYE and NYD Half Marathons (12/31/2011 - 1/1/2012) - Todd Toffoli

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Toffoli) — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 02:29:00 +0000

In my last act as a member of the FMRC Elite Team and my first act as one of its Ambassadors, to the minor amusement of my running friends and the minor vexation of my non-running friends, I decided to cap off a great year of racing and kickstart the next by participating in the Brazen New Year's Eve and New Year's Day half marathons at Lake Chabot back to back.

I ran 29 races in 2011 - 277 miles worth. Looking at that figure boggles my mind a bit. This accomplishment I owe most of all to the support of my family and the great FMRC. In addition to the people support, I am truly grateful to the sponsors of the club, who added much needed oil to grease the racing machinery. I finished off about 18 pounds of Cytomax product this year. I ground my way into my 4th and 5th pair of Avia shoes (Bolt and Stoltz). My Rudy Project shades have survived a few falls, my Zensah compression wear has held me together long enough to prevent other falls. And of course, and most of all, there is Marty Breen and Forward Motion, and all that they do for us.

As for the New Year's races, per the Brazen standard, they were nothing short of a pure joy. Lake Chabot has some of my favorite trails to run, and the course (counter-clockwise around the lake on the Eve, clockwise on the Day) took us over some of the most beautiful, challenging, and exhilarating terrain there is to offer. I managed to run very well on both days, and had I not pulled a rookie move of following the runner in front of me past a crucial turn at mile 9 on the first day (over a clearly marked white line with a big "NO" written across the trail), adding an extra mile to my half marathon, I would have set two course PRs.

In the first race I finished in 19th place, 3rd in age group, with a time of 1:44:47. The second day I faired a bit better with 5th overall, 2nd in age, with a time of 1:36:05 (the official course was .2 miles shorter than the prior day, and unofficially 1.2 miles shorter for me, so the negative split is slightly less amazing). After 27 miles of racing, I was much less wiped out than I have been after New Year's following a more typical route towards self-destruction.

(5 medals in 2 days: 2 Finisher medals + 1 for doing both days. AG 3rd + AG 2nd)

I was delighted to find that I was far from being the only person who thought running both races sounded like a reasonable thing to do. We had a good crowd of FoMo runners show up for one day or the other, and a good handful that made it out for both days. What could be better than spending the holiday with like-minded people doing something you love?

Here is just a sample of the FRMC presence out at Lake Chabot (all raced 2 in a row):

(Kimber Kaiser Pierpont)

(Joseph Condon)

(Brian Collett)

(Ron Kalich)

(Jason Ngai)

On behalf of FMRC, I wish you all a happy New Year and hope to see everyone out at the races in 2012!

See my Garmin results: Brazen NYE Half Marathon and Brazen NYD Half Marathon

Bah Humbug 5K (12/3/2011) – Todd Toffoli

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Toffoli) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 05:15:00 +0000

The 2011 Bah Humbug 5K in San Ramon, has the unlucky distinction of taking the title for Worst Race Weather Ever. Rain? Not a drop. Cold? A bit, but I’ve been exposed to much worse. So what was the problem? Wind. WIND!

I hadn’t run a 5K race in a long while, and had done a lot of racing and speed work since then. I hadn’t run too hard during the week prior, so my legs were well rested. I brought out a snazzy new pair of Avi Bolt III shoes for their inaugural race. I had hopes of a PR race until the wind came in like a bully with nothing better to do than slap around a bunch of defenseless runners.

I swear it wasn’t windy when I left my place in Berkeley, but by the time I rendezvoused with our FMRC contingent at the registration area, it was obvious that the weather would be performance altering. I had my Magster shades to keep grit from blowing into my eyes, but I took more than one wind-borne stick to the face while waiting for the race to start. My flat and fast 5K had become a gauntlet of flying debris.

There was a massive crowd at the start line, in spite of the poor conditions. I lined up in the center of the street, alongside fellow Elite Teamers Brian Collett and Justin Green and awaited the signal. At the horn, I took off faster than I would normally allow myself, just to get a lead on the crowd. I had a little caffeine edge from downing a bottle of MonsterPump on the way to the race, so I hoped the dash at the beginning wouldn’t leave me burnt out at the end.

What did burn me out was the headwind. Except for the short crossbar of the figure-8 course, the force of the gale pushed, pulled, tripped, and otherwise hampered my motion the whole way. I was pushing at the absolute limit, and getting much less pace-per-push than I imagined. In relative terms, it seemed to be going pretty well. I could still see Collett ahead of me at the first mile marker, and Steve Chavez was still in sight all the way to the finish.

After the second mile, I was passed by Brian Callejas, my ever present nemesis back in September at the Trail Hog Half Marathon. I managed to fight him off at that race, but this time he zipped ahead of me in a burst and held his lead to the end. I had been struggling to keep the heart-rate monitor strap for my Garmin from slipping off, and I finally gave up on it with a quarter of a mile to go, letting it fall around my waist. I gave a final surge toward the finish, passing the line somewhat disappointed to see the clock read 18:04, well over PR.

Allowing for the wind resistance, it wasn’t that bad of a performance. I had paced remarkably well given the conditions and I earned a 2nd place award for my age group, finishing 8th overall. It’s hard to complain too much, but a new PR must wait for another day--some hopeful day without so much as a breeze to stir the dust.

See my Garmin Results here: Bah Humbug 5K

Brian Collett - Bah Humbug 5K (12/3/11)

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Collett) — Sun, 04 Dec 2011 01:46:00 +0000

I hate wind.

Seriously. I’ve raced in a multitude of different conditions over the years and I can easily say that there’s nothing quite as annoying as a real powerful wind. I have no problem with cold, as I can wear layers to deal with it, and even then I’ve never had a major issue with cold temperature. Heat is more annoying for sure, but if you drink enough water then you should be fine. Rain? As long as it’s just rain I don’t stress too much about it (although it’s hell to try and wear glasses during such) if it’s a concrete race. But wind is a pain, as it makes all the above weather conditions much, much worse. Wind can turn heat info a dry inferno, can make a drizzle into a nasty rain storm and can turn the cold a freezing nightmare. And it’s hard to counter as you can’t see it, only experience it. So it’s no surprise that in the last few days I’ve noticed the windy change of weather in the Bay Area with a slight twinge of dread.

It’s 7am as both my alarms go off with a cacophony of buzzes loud and vibrating, and while I would love to smack them both I don’t have the time. Climbing out of bed I stretch for the ceiling, feeling the bones in my arms and back crack and pop, the horrible sound of it a clear contrast to how good it feels. I take a moment to look out my main window to note the leafs and branches are swaying in the wind with a small scowl. I get dressed in a pair of black spandex shorts (which gives me a +3 boost to speed as it reduces wind drag) with my black zensah compression calf sleeves, followed by my green spandex shirt underneath my Forward Motion singlet (as I’m trying to be festive). Taking a moment to grab a bottle of water, I put on my sweats and grab my pre-prepped bag before heading out to my truck Silver and begin the drive out to Bishop Ranch in San Ramon, a place that I’ve raced a multitude of times.

The drive is fine, although it’s a touch busier than I would have expected for a Saturday on highway 24. But I’ve no real trouble with that as I fly down the freeway, trying and not really succeeding to find a radio station to rock out to. It’s brighter than I would expect too, but that’s not that big an issue either as I rove through 680S and make my way to Bishop Ranch, which is kinda San Ramon’s go to spot for racing. Finding parking easily, I make my way to the starting area and the Forward Motion booth, where I’m able to drop my bag without worry. That’s a good thing, as the wind is causing more than enough worry. Several of the sponsor tents are shaking from the force of the wind, and after a short time the registration tents take off the covers and leave the frame as they have no way to weigh them down; the same reason that fellow Elite team racer Carrie Chavez doesn’t put out her tent. Thankfully the guys at the FoMo booth have weighed down the tent with barrels full of water, and even then we’re a little nervous.

I put on my gloves and proceed to warm up down Camino Ramon, and already I can feel the headwind blasting at me as I head along the sidewalk. Considering we start going into the wind and slightly uphill, I’m not looking forward to this. Nevertheless I stretch out as best I can, ignoring the cold blasts of wind as best I can. It’s a shame as aside from the wind it looks like it will be a beautiful day. But the wind is just so present a force that can’t be ignored. All the same I’ve having a good time hanging with my teammates and once again wondering how insane we are for doing this. Fully stretched and after throwing a few kicks into the air to test the muscles in my legs, I take off my sweats and switch to my racing flats, my fingers fumbling at first as the cold nips my digits. Then before I know it I’m jogging to the start, shaking hands with those I know and those who’ve know me as the wide start line looks on and uphill in the distance. There’s some people talking and giving speeches but the thought of those in the front is the same: Can we get this thing started please? Then, after a mistake in signal we’re given a ten count, and away we go!

The course is relatively simple, and can best be described as a pair of odd blocks stacked on each other. Heading northbound on Camino Ramon, we race uphill and into the wind to start before turning left on Executive Pkwy and then turning right on Bishop Dr. followed by another right on Norris Canyon Rd. before heading back on Camino Ramon. We then loop back on Executive pkwy, but this time we take a left on Bishop Dr and follow it’s curving pathway towards the finish area. So it’s basically a figure eight with the cross point being on the side rather than the center. Either way I’m not really stressing that part as we shoot out, pushing myself forward with the leaders. A pair of high-schoolers shoot out to the lead, but it’s clear they did it purposely (with one shouting “Well, there’s our 15 seconds of fame”). I focus on another high-schooler in red shorts as we shoot out along Camino Ramon, but soon enough he veers off to the side for some reason and instead I find myself in the lead with another young guy (I should quit saying that. I’m only 27.) in blue shorts right behind me as we push for the lead. The wind is rough but since it’s expected I’m powering through it as best as I can, and I’m able to hold the lead as we cut the curve onto Executive Pkwy.

It’s weird here as there appears to be no real wind on Executive, which I find odd but can’t really focus on it, as blue shorts behind me keeps switching what side of me he wants to run on. For the most part I’m taking the inside lane and trying not to stress about it, but I find it odd for sure. Blue shorts manages to get up beside and take the lead for a second, but he takes the turn onto Bishop Dr. a bit wide and I cut it sharp and move back into the lead, though I kinda wish I hadn’t. The wind blasts my side like I’ve just shrugged off a tackle. I wince slightly as I push forward, Guns & Roses “Paradise City” (which I haven’t heard in like forever) in blaring in my head as my feet pound the pavement and my watch beeping a 5:37 first mile. It’s slower than I would normally go, but considering the wind I’m not that surprised. I continue to push forward to hold off blue shorts as we cut onto Norris Canyon (me again takingthe turn sharp), where the wind blasts get even worse. I’m able to hold on and I’m very glad I’m wearing my Rudy Project glasses to protect my eyes as the wind is constantly blasting. Blue shorts is still weaving back and forth, and I wonder if that’s because of the wind or if he’s trying to freak me out. Either way I try not to focus on it as I push along the rough gusts of wind, my pace bouncing as I get relief or fury.

It’s on Camino Ramon where the wind finally turns in our favor, but we make the cut onto it I feel no tailwind. If it’s there I can’t sense it, but apparently blue shorts can and at the 1.8 mile mark he takes the lead and I’m unable to follow, as I’ve used up too much speed and power fighting the wind to try and push onward. Shortly before turning onto Executive Pkwy, with my watch beeping a 5:36 second mile, I’m passed again by fellow Elite Team racer Michael Perry (which is the second year in a row he’s beaten me on this course. He’s got my number here apparently.) and suddenly I’m in third as we head though the crowd on Executive, though thankfully we can cross on the other side of the road. There’s still no wind here, but I’m unable to make up any ground here and instead keep pushing forward to maintain third place. Turning left on Bishop Rd. I again feel no real tailwind, though I suppose the absence of headwind is enough as I run down the slight downhill on the curving road. Seeing the finish ahead I recall last year where I had to sprint for a second place finish, but that’s not happening as Perry has too big a lead and so I focus on simply finishing strong.

I cross the finish line at 17:14, not particularly thrilled with the time but understanding given the wind gust. I am happy at my splits though as I ran a 5:37, 5:36 & 5:36, so at least I can be happy with that. Taking some time to relax at the tent, I notice the wind has finally started to die down, naturally as we are mostly done. I hang out and snag some ice cream, because why the hell not? The cold isn’t nearly as bad as it seems now that I’m done with the race. I hang out with several of my teammates as we share our stories of the wind and grab plenty of food before putting on our respective sweats again. The results take longer than expected (Memo to race organizers: do the medals first, then do the costume contest) but I’m not stressing it too much as I have the day off, and soon enough I’m able to grab my age division medal without too much trouble. Saying my goodbyes, I make my way to my truck and head out back to Berkeley. The race is over and as the wind dies down it looks like it’s going to be a lovely day...

The Off Season and Back Again - Elite Team Member Justin Green

noreply@blogger.com (JustinNorCal) — Thu, 17 Nov 2011 05:45:00 +0000

Well October marked the beginning of my official off season. I had a very frustrating 2011 with two injuries as well as some stress in my personal life that made focusing on racing difficult. I took a few weeks almost completely off. While I lost some fitness I felt it gave me renewed excitement for 2012. I decided my goal for 2012 was to have a consistent, injury free season. To accomplish this I felt I need a better base so that my body is ready to accept the hard training load an athlete places on it. I started back to a "training" schedule about 3 weeks ago. Since then I have been focused on my running base and starting to add on the yards in the pool.

Clarksburg Country Half Marathon/ PAUSATF Half Marathon Championship

This past weekend I ran the Clarksburg Country Half Marathon. It was the Pacific Association USATF Half Marathon Championships, and is probably the fastest Half Marathon this side of the Rockies. The course is located just southwest of Sacramento on the levee roads and is gorgeous with all the tree lined roads.

Going through mile1

I wasn't sure what to expect since I did not have a ton of miles, any speedwork, or any tempo runs in my legs. I was going to use this as my off season run focus benchmark. I went out feeling really good and comfortable the first 3 miles (6:27,6:24,6:36) and settled into a good rhythm. The first 1.5 miles were on a slight false flat downhill. When we hit mile 2 there was a pretty good northwest headwind that I knew would make us work harder one the way back in. I settled into my pace with another racer who I ran with most of the race. We stayed pretty consistent through the turn around. As we approached the 8 mile marker the wind started picking up to 15-20mph gusts from the north. Our pace dropped off from 6:40ish to 6:50-7min pace. It was also about this time I could tell not having any long runs in the legs was beginning to take its toll. Nonetheless I continued through the finish line in 01:29:25. While I was hoping for a little better, I guess I was expecting too much with the lack of volume this time of year.

Finished

I plan to continue my run/swim focus this off season, and February 5th run the Davis Stampede. Another fast half marathon. This will hopefully give me a gauge of how much I can improve my run in the off season.

Up Next: Bah Humbug 5k on December 3rd

For those of you that care to check out my race data, here is the information from my Garmin 310xt.

Lake Chabot Trail Run 50K (11/5/2011) – Todd Toffoli

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Toffoli) — Wed, 09 Nov 2011 03:26:00 +0000

On Saturday, November 5, 2011, I ran my first 50K event at the Lake Chabot Trail Run hosted by Coastal Trail Runs. I had been mentally toying with the distance for more than a year, but training and timing never seemed to work out for the races I had in mind. This autumn, my stars finally aligned for a foray into the shoals of the vast ocean that is the ultramarathon.

Training

Venturing beyond the bounds of my comfort zone of the marathon, I was surprised to find the greatest challenges in the training, rather than in the race itself. In the last couple of years, I’ve had to battle with my propensity to race frequently and hard in 5K, 10K, and half marathon distances to fit in the long endurance runs I need to ready myself for a full marathon. Shooting for another 5 miles beyond the accustomed 26 on race day resulted in some indexterous juggling of schedules between racing, training, working, and living that involved a dropped ball here and there.

In marathon training I generally cap my long runs at 22-milers four weeks and two weeks prior to the event. This time around I put in a 24-miler eight weeks out that ended in nearly catastrophic dehydration, a 25-mile day that included running the Primo’s Half Marathon at speed, and another 24-miler at two weeks out that ended well after dark on the trail at Inspiration Point after a day spent hosting an aid station at the Rocky Ridge trail race.

In the two months preceding my November 5 date with destiny, I ran two half marathons and four 10K races, the last only six days prior. This was predictably exhausting, against all common training logic, and had me skating the edge of injury as well. It wasn’t until after my last long run that I finally signed up for the Lake Chabot race and settled in for a couple weeks of luxurious taper (even with a 10K race right in the middle of it, this was about as easy as I’ve taken it since summer started).

The Race

The 50K course was a series of two half marathon laps around Lake Chabot plus a 5-mile roundtrip of the Cameron Loop trail, each leg beginning at the harbor on the south end of the lake. The terrain was a mix of 1/3 paved, 1/3 fire road, and 1/3 single track. There were very few steep sections of hill and other than some fallen leaves and branches along the single track there was very little of a technical nature to navigate.

(Around and around we go: 2 pink + 1 yellow)

I was glad to have fellow FMRC members Simon Mutlu and Andy Frey participating in the 50K as well, we all ran the Boston Marathon earlier this year and I knew that pacing somewhere in range of them would be neither too fast nor too slow for me. When my Garmin started losing its satellite connection just .75 miles into the race and could no longer track mileage, their presence was the only speedometer left to me for the next 30 miles. While Simon frequently pulled ahead on the long uphill lengths, and I gained a lot of ground on the downhills, we all finished the first 13.1 miles within a few seconds of each other. Though I pulled away from them in the second lap, their presence the first time around kept my pacing under control and left me with plenty in the tank for the remainder of the run.

(Coming into Honker Bay aid station, Lap 1 - 4.5 miles)

(Coming into Honker Bay aid station, Lap 2 - 17.6 miles)

One thing that was all new to me in this race was eating solid foods along the way to prevent bonking in the final miles. In a marathon, I will usually go through a Gu pack or two, maybe a bite of banana or orange wedge passed out along the course. In this race, in addition to the two Gu Energy Gel packs, two packets of Gu Chomps, 20 Peruvian chocolate-covered coffee beans I carried with me, I took down several boiled potatoes dipped in salt, half a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, pretzels, M&Ms, a salt pill, a banana, and countless other randomly selected salty and sweet snacks. My wife, Marissa, had never seen me stop in the middle of a race before; when I came in at the end of the first lap and started browsing the snack table at the aid station, she thought something was wrong with me.

(Having a little snack at the end of Lap 1 - 13.1 miles.)

Magster sunglasses by Rudy Project

In addition to food, I went through far more liquid than I ever have before in training or racing. In a typical marathon I will take in a couple mouthfuls of electrolytes at each aid station and that generally gets me through in one piece. In training the most I’ve gone through in a long run on a hot day is two bottles of Cytomax over 24 miles. Though it was cold and overcast on the day of the race, I started with a full 16 ounces of Cytomax and had to refill my bottle with electrolytes four times. Maybe it was the food absorbing the extra liquid, but I certainly never felt like I was drinking much.

(Not much fanfare for completing a marathon at the end of Lap 2 - 26.2 miles. )

By the end of the second lap, my dad had joined to Marissa to watch me come through. Up to the end of the marathon worth of miles, I really hadn’t run hard at any point in the race. I even walked a bit on one steep hill both times around the lake to prevent my heart rate from rising too quickly. Down to the last 5 miles of the race, I felt good enough to pull the stops and gradually pick up the pace. At around mile 28, I got a surge of adrenaline that propelled me all the way up the last long hill and down the other side. On the way in, I passed Simon and Andy heading the other way, just about to ascend the big hill. With a couple miles to go and a mostly downhill return to the finish, I really turned on the jets, my excitement carrying me sprinting all the way across the line.

(Coming into the final turn - 30.8 miles.)

(Full out at the finish line - 31.1 miles.)

I crossed the line with a time of 4:18:51. Having overtaken one runner within a couple miles of the finish landed me in 3rd place overall and 1st in my age group. My wife and dad were waiting for me at the finish line, as was hot soup and a Coastal Trail Runs 50K finisher’s coaster.

(A man and his coaster.)

Compression Leg Sleeves by Zensah

Maybe it was the conservative pace, maybe it was the intake of food and liquids during the run, but I felt much better at the end than I have after races of much shorter distance. When Simon and Andy came in a few minutes later, I was already feeling loose and spry on my feet.

(Andy and Simon bring it on home.)

For this event, the greater stress and challenge was in the training – having put in the work beforehand, finishing the race never felt beyond my grasp and I was able to enjoy the experience tremendously.

(All smiles with Dad at the finish.)

Lafayette Reservoir Run 10K (10/30/2011) – Todd Toffoli

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Toffoli) — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 03:43:00 +0000

We had a good Forward Motion crowd out at the Lafayette Reservoir Run on Sunday, and it was a cold crisp morning for a race. With Forward Motion Race Club members participating in both the 5K and 10K, a cheering section of club members taking an easy day after running in the Healdsburg Half the day before, and Marty Breen holding court at the Forward Motion booth, we had our bases well covered.

I opted to run the 10K this year, and though I knew it to be a challenging, hilly course, I figured my recent string of trail races had toughened me sufficiently to take an aggressive approach to this race. The 8:45am start for the 10K was much later than what I had seen listed online, so I’d arrived with plenty of time beforehand to mill around the sponsor booths (and steal a nip from a cooler of Cytomax at one of them), chat with teammates, and eventually run a few circles for a warm-up jog.

By the time we were called to line up for the start, horizontal rays of the morning sun had begun to warm the day, and looking around at the squinting crowd, I was grateful for my Rudy Project shades. I made my way toward the front of the thick pack. I ran in my Avi Bolt II, which have treated me quite well this year for my street races, but with the mileage now accumulated on them it is about time for a new pair of racers, perhaps the Avi Bolt III. Shoes tied tight, count running down, I awaited the horn.

I went out at a speed that felt natural for a 10K race and checked my Garmin after a minute to verify. In the initial surge, a dozen or so runners forged out ahead of me before many settled into more sustainable paces and fell off one by one. Running gradually uphill along Mount Diablo Boulevard, I tried to keep an even rhythm, knowing the first mile and a half would be the only part of the race where any attempt at running by pace would be possible.

Reaching the turnaround point on the boulevard and heading back toward the entrance to the Lafayette Reservoir, I found myself in 3rd place. On the steep uphill road heading into the park, I took a conservative stride and was immediately passed by 3 runners charging up the slope. Along the rolling, winding loop trail around the reservoir, the endless succession of sharp ups and downs strained and pounded all the muscles of my body to an extreme of exertion. Pushing and wrestling my physical limits, I was able to regain some ground along this section, passing a couple runners before reaching the precipitous downhill road exiting the park.

I thought the last person I passed had been worn out by the hills around the reservoir, but back on Mount Diablo Boulevard he overtook me once more and steadily moved ahead as we worked our way back downtown. I held a great pace for the last mile and a half and ended up in 5th place overall and 2nd in my age group, with an official time of 38:04.

I backtracked up the course a little way to cheer my teammates into the finish and was joined by other cheerleaders returning from their post out at the exit of the park. After a time, all the FMRC crew had finished and we wandered in to collect swag and age group medals, and thence to our respective cars and homes.

See my Garmin results here: Lafayette Reservoir Run 10K

Run in the Park – Briones (10/15/2011) – Todd Toffoli

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Toffoli) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 05:04:00 +0000

I went out Saturday morning to Briones Park in Orinda for the 6th and final race in the Run in the Park Series. I’d only missed one race in the series (Garin Park, Hayward, on 8/27), and stood in good position to be the 10K series winner at the end of the day.

Originally planned as a loop course over a giant hill, the 10K was rerouted the prior day by the race director on account of a disgruntled herd of protective mother cows and their gangly calves crowding the trail. The resulting course on race day was a set of two out-and-backs, both uphill on the way out, making for a fast return trip.

I had run the first section as part of the Bear Creek Half Marathon back in August, so I jogged the full 5K of the second section as a warmup to familiarize myself with the rest of the course and make sure my Avi Stoltz were tied securely, having run two races in the last month where my shoes came untied. The cows were still milling around at the 5K turnaround, and a few lumbered clear as I came near them. When I got back to the start line, the crowd was already lined up behind the starting line and waiting for the signal.

After a minute, we were given the countdown and sent on our way. I pushed off in the lead and settled quickly into a good rhythm along the uphill rolling trail toward the North. Minus a few short sections of steep incline, I charged full-throttle up the 200ft of elevation gain to the farthest point of the first section at 1.55 miles. At the turnaround marker, I turned to find no one within range of catching me.

I set out to make my lead as large as possible, taking advantage of the long downhill to stretch out my stride and gain speed while my heart rate recovered for the next uphill. At the halfway point, I passed the finish line and shot out on the eastward trail for the second leg. Participants of the 5K were flying down the hill past me as I made my way up another mile and a half climb of 200ft. This part of the course had no rolling hills for relief, just a steady uphill.

My Magsters shaded my eyes from the sharp morning light, as the last outward length of the course headed toward the rising sun. Finally reaching the second turnaround, I pulled all the stops and went barreling back to the finish. The return trip was an exhilarating downhill sprint; a great finish to a fun series of races.

I finished in 39:07, winning the day. I also came out the series winner, having placed 3rd once, 2nd twice, and 1st twice over the course of the series. After the run was over, I had a good chat with some of the regular participants before driving up the hill to Inspiration Point, heading out on the trail with a bottle of Cytomax in hand to put in some more mileage for the day.

(Age Group 1st Place.)

(Overall Top Finisher.)

(Overall Series Champion.)

See my Garmin results here: Run in the Park – Briones

Brian Collett - Nike Women's Marathon (10/16/11)

noreply@blogger.com (Brian Collett) — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 00:17:00 +0000

This is bit long (7 pages actually), so have fun reading!

_______________________________________________________________

They say that it’s the journey that matters, not the destination.

Several months ago when I won a paid entry into the Nike Women’s Marathon in a raffle drawing (which I had entered mainly free shoes were up for grabs), I had no idea what I was getting myself into. I had never ran a marathon before. I’d never even done a half-marathon at the time; the longest race I had ever participated in prior to this was a 10 miler up the hills of South Lake Tahoe as part of a four day challenge. But the encouragement I received from friends and family was enough to persuade me, and so I started training for what would be the biggest challenge of my racing career. Doing my own training schedule, which incorporated a pair of long days followed by my regular 10K training workouts (because I was still racing almost every weekend at various 5Ks and 10Ks around the East bay), I was slowly but surely upping the milage. Fellow Forward Motion runner Jody Galvin had told me that if you could get up to 20 miles in one sitting that I would be okay, and the general consensus was that at that point my incredible speed and endurance would be enough to hold on for the last 6.2 miles.

But there was a snag. After completing a 19 miler on the Friday before Labor day, in which I averaged 6:20 pace, I decided to try out a half-marathon on Labor Day; basically a barometer to see where I was in regards to my training. I ended up winning the half - The Zombie Runner in Los Gatos - and setting a new course record, but went back to training to quickly, and as a result ended up with pain in my left knee and both achilles tendons. After two weeks of icing and foam rolling and training and racing I still didn’t feel any better, and though I had hurt both my knee and achilles in the past and with more severity than this, it was still an annoying pain that I wanted nothing to do with, especially with a marathon close by. The worst part being that the achilles injuries are rather subtle and hard to detect. So I cut back on training and started seeing a physical therapist in order to help out with the issue, and while I remained rather skeptical at first, after a while I was feeling a lot better. The last test was to race the Primo’s 5K the week before, with the thought that if I could race that with no trouble, then I’d be good to go for the marathon. Again I find myself being tested, but for different reasons. And while I wasn’t thrilled with the place I found myself at the finish(as there was a much better field this year) I was able to run pain free with some athletic tape in place. Best of all my time was only 5 second behind my personal best for the 5K, meaning the speed I feared I’d lost hadn’t abandoned me yet. It meant only one thing. It was time...

4:15 am and I awake to the twin sounds of my alarms belting out their shrieks, which I’m rather quick to silence. For some waking up this early would be taxing, but I’ve been waking up at 4am for what feels like forever, and even after a 5-10:30pm shift the previous night, I find myself focused and ready to roll for what will be a fun-filled adventure. Making sure the rock-tape I applied the previous day to my knee and achilles in still in place, I add a little secure with some white athletic tape before putting on my Zensah compression calf-sleeves for extra hold. The rest of the uniform is fairly standard: Black New Balance shorts (with pockets. This would be important later), my white tri-top Forward Motion jersey and black wool socks before putting on my New Balance 890’s. No these aren’t my normal racing shoes but my friend and fellow racer Todd Toffoli suggested I race in the shoes I trained in, and the 890’s are actually pretty light for training shoes, so there you go. Checking to make sure my fantasy football teams are ready (Hey, a fella’s gotta have priorities...) and grabbing my sweats and making sure that I have everything pre-prepped in my Nike official green bag I got at the expo (they won’t take any other for the sweat-check), I have a small moment of panic when I notice a tear on the side of the bag, but thankfully a large sticker I got at the expo is able to clear that up right quick. Then I’m off in my truck Silver for a short drive, eating a protein bar and drinking my Cytomax on the way. I’ve driven to SF dozens of times for work, so I know where all the good parking spots are close to my work, which is only a short walk to Union Square. Sure enough I’m able to find parking easily at one of the now-dormant meters, and after making sure my truck is secure, I grab my bag and join the various people that are flocking to the starting area.

And man, if the hugeness of the event didn’t hit me before it certainly does now. There’s a bunch of people, even though it’s now 5:30 in the morning there’s a lot of people already talking, hanging out, warming up and getting ready. And Team in Training, OMG Team in Training is here en mass; I feel awash in a sea of purple that is rather encouraging as it is mobbing. Walking over towards the starting area, I’m actually stunned to run into former PSAV employee Seth Jaquish, now working for Local 16 and watching over the projectors shooting on the building overhead. We chat for a bit before I head towards a corner to spot the way into the shoot, where I run into fellow racers Erin Moline (who’s also doing the full) and Georgia Woeger (whose here to cheer). I’m carrying 4 Jet Blackberry GU’s in my pockets, but after warming up I don’t like the feeling of the weight in my pockets, as I normally don’t run while carrying anything, so I eat 2 of them right then and there and at once the weight seems much more manageable. Dropping of my nike bag at the sweat check with an hour to go, I bid adieu and head for the starting corral in order when there’s a problem: The person manning the entrance for the 6-6:30 minute pace won’t let me in, despite having the punched out wristband for it. She’s actually quite rude about it, so I find another gal in charge who explains it. The way the start works is that no guys are allowed anywhere in the first two sections. If I want in I have to start in the 7:30-8 minute pace group. This apparently was something they started this year and I shouldn’t have had my wristband punched. The gal apologized and suggested I sneak my way forward once we get closer to start time. I find this infuriating, not because of where I have to start, but that no one said anything till that morning. Trying not to let it get to me, I stretch again before making my way into the starting corral, where I run into Forward Motions’ own Jason Cooke who pacing for the half-marathon. I say hi and chat for a bit before I start sneaking towards the starting line, with several other girls right behind me. Then, as the counter runs down, I brace myself for the challenge.

As soon as the gun goes off and we start, immediately my Bay to Breakers-style tactics kick in; looking for gaps and accelerating into them. I have a flexible plan for how I want this race to go, but for right now I just want to get out. Noticing a seem on my left side, I burst through and hug it as I pass through, hoping over a camera tripod in the process. Cutting through Post St., I quickly dodge and duck my way through to the other side as we round the turn onto Montgomery St. I’m moving faster than I honestly should at this point, as I pass by fellow racer and Nike rep Peter Bimey, whose pacing a group as well. Turning onto Washington St. I notice there’s a guy who’s zooming ahead at a pace I can’t dare match, so I don’t (he’s probably running the half anyway, I think) and instead focus on the dozen or so girls right ahead of me, who like me are trying to get out of the pack and get good positioning. One of them comments to me how she’s seen me at some of the Brazen races, and we wish each other luck as I run past. The first mile beeps at me - a 4:58 pace, waaay too fast - as I pass by several women who’ve gone out too fast and are trying to settle down into the pace that they want. As for yours truly, it’s only once do I check my Garmin do I realize that I’ve gone off plan somewhat and try to settle it down a bit, and once along the Embarcadero do I get my bearings. I’m currently in 5th overall, with the speedy guy far out of my vision and a trio of ladies ahead of me, with the closest one wearing a bright pink top and black shorts that are so tight...well let’s just say I have no problem running behind her for the time being. As we pass by the first of many water stations, I veer off a little to snag a cup on the run before joining the main path with little trouble. This is something I promised myself I’d do; hit every water station whether or not I needed it. I’m also able to do a self diagnostic here, and while my leg knee is bugging me softly, but it’s not too much trouble and my achilles are fine as I head along the Embarcadero.

For the most part I’m feeling great as I cascade through the open streets, the bright overcast sky hanging overhead adding to the perfect running weather that I and many others are quite grateful for. “Moves like Jagger” by Maroon 5 in jumping in my head, but it’s not very solid as my legs pump and pound on the pavement. People cheer as we zip past, although as I’m getting closer to pink-top girl I can’t help but wonder if they’re cheering her and I just happen to be in the same area. No matter as we move along the North Beach section of SF, and my sense of deja vu kicks in as we pass by a restaurant that had killer bread-bowl soup. That would be good right about now, I think as I pass by, heading for the first of what would be many hills on this course, starting with one at Fort Mason. My pace drops a little but I was expecting that as I sift gears to handle the hill, knowing that I’ll make it back on the downhill. What I didn’t expect was to see 100K trail racer Katie Murphy cheering me on once I got to the other side. Smiling a little bit, I zip a little more on the downhill before settling and hitting another water station at mile four. It occurs to me that I really need to work on trying to drink while running, as most of the water spills down my front. Not that I’m stressing it too much as both pink-top and I both catch and pass another girl in a white shirt around the mile five mark who looks a little winded. Still, I wish her well and continue on my pace, which has settled down into the 6:30 per mile that I wanted.

Right before mile 6 I notice a loose feeling in my knee and, not slowing down because we’re about to approach some big hills, start to wonder if everything is okay. I feel a little unraveled, which is appropriate because the extra athletic tape I applied to my knee whips off at that very moment, falling to the ground without tying me up. The volunteers standing at that point ask if I need it back but I wave them off, as the rock-tape I applied earlier is still holding firm with no trouble. The sky is still overcast but lighter, and I’m glad I brought my Rudy project shades for this one, even if the start was harder work with because of it. We clamor up the hillside, a 262 ft climb in less than a mile’s distance, with a killer view of the golden gate bridge as the cloudy day breaks for but a moment to glow the bridge as we pass by, a moment I wish I could transfix in time. Despite the moment I press on, and here I have to hold back a laugh as deja du kicks in as I realize where I am on the course. It’s nearly the same section that I did for the 24 hour race last year with the Forward Motion relay team. Only this time I know exactly where I’m going and there’s no hesitation. It’s at this moment that another racer comes up beside me, a shirtless dude named Dino and we start chatting. It’s his first marathon as well, and he like me is trying to break the 3 hours mark if possible. I now have competition, which is both good and bad. Good because it now gives me someone to push off of, and bad because it could easily push me into a pace I don’t wanna get to. Needless I am happy for the company as we rush the downhill section of Chrissy field, catching and passing up pink-top in the process as feet hit the downhill. Dino takes the lead here, orange shoes garrishingly bright even in the overcast sky, but it’s mainly because I’m holding back a little. It’s only mile 8.

There’s a bunch of Team in Training people along the course way who’re walking, but thankfully they’re easy enough to run past as they’re all mostly on the right side of the road (Part of me wonders if there was an earlier start for TNT people who would be walking). Either way we get plenty of cheers as we pass by the last part of the Presidio and start heading into the Richmond district. As we curve around some nice looking places on a roller, I hear one of the cheering people ask “Is that Brian, from the Brazen Races?” “Who else would it be?” I yell cheerily back as we rove past and head onto another big hill; this one a 264 ft climb in a 1.3 mile span. Despite the hills, which aren’t really my strong suit, I’m able to move back into a better spot a few steps behind Dino as I’m a better uphill runner than he is. My feet are fine though there’s a slight pain in the arch of my right foot, but it quickly subsides as fast as it appeared. It’s here that my achilles start to tense a little as I race up the hill, and internally I wince slightly as I try to ride it out to at least the top of the hill, should my achilles decide to end this race early. But like my arch, the tense feeling quickly leaves after half a mile, leaving me to breathe a sigh of relief as we reach the top of the outer Richmond and start to proceed down towards the Great Highway. Now I’ve been here before as part of the course from the 24 hour relay, but that was at 3am. Now it’s morning and the bright overcast sky creates a beautiful visage that you can see for miles beyond. It’s a wondrous sight of the beaches and the waves cascading on the shores and as we head downhill towards the great highway, the last street before the beach. Man, I think, the views were worth it alone. Note that I wouldn’t be saying this later...

I’m starting to feel a little tired, so it’s at this point a little after mile 10 I pull out the first of my Gu packs and squeeze energy goodness into my mouth (with more ease than you’d imagine). I hear footsteps approaching and a pair of tall lanky dudes catch up to us. Both are running the half, and both are stunned when they realize that Dino and I are doing the full at the pace we’re setting. We all note that the last girl, a small thin one wearing all black, is not far ahead, and the two guys are a little apprehensive about passing her. I understand. It is the Nike WOMEN’s race, and it’s considered a breach of etiquette to beat a girl to the finish (I’m not joking either. I had a bunch of people tell me not to win this race if I could help it.) The four of us decide to hold the pace we have and see what happens as we curve into Golden Gate park, a place I’ve raced at least a dozen times before and know better than most. It turns out the guys fears are realized faster than we’d like, as we quickly catch the girl (who’s also doing the half) and pass with compliments on both sides. I swear I’m never heard so many congrats being given during a race before, but then again most of mine are too fast and too short to do so. Noting from a bike pacer that we’re at 6:45 pace at the moment we four decide to pick it up a little, following the motorcycle cops that are leading the way. An odd thought appears through the various music that’s bouncing through my head with a sudden clarity: We’re leading the marathon. Oh My God! I try not to focus on it but it’s certainly there as the four of us run through the hills of Golden Gate park, going deeper into the park itself and passing among other things, a newscast crew with a jumbo-tron showing us as run past. Eventually the two half-marathoners have to break off on their part of the course and I wish them well as I continue after Dino, who’s taken a bit of a lead on me at this point. I continue to give pace through the park, covering spots where I’ve ran earlier at the SF Pride run among others. But it’s here, my feet pounding the concrete of JFK Dr. as I zip along trying to make ground, that things become weird...

Heading under an overpass I continue through the park, with Dino ahead by about 50 yards or so, when I notice the motorcycle cops have stopped and have now are turning the otherway. I’m not fazed by this, as I had studied the course and knew that there was a turn around point somewhere in the park. And sure enough I see it; a line of cones cutting off the road with a Nike booth and some cones making a small teardrop shape. It’s fairly obvious that it should be the turnaround point, but Dino...just runs right past it. Before I can even say anything he’s down the road and around a corner before I can yell anything. Immediately I worry, calling out to the volunteers on hand “This is the turn-around point?” “Yes, turn around and follow the cops,” she says back. Though internally I’m in full panic mode, having gone through this sort of mess not too long ago at the Fast and Furious 5K, and I can’t help but draw parallels. Not here, not now, I think as I hit the turn around and head back the way I came; the sound of the motorcycles revving back up to lead me did nothing for the panicked feeling around my heart. I didn’t break stride through as I headed back along the path. As for Dino...well, I never saw him again, neither on the course nor at the after party. Though thinking about it now, it was probably a good thing I didn’t, as who knows how pissed off he’d be. I kept it up, going through the back stretch of the park around the polo grounds, which again reminded me of the SF Pride race, which helped ease the fear in my heart and let me keep running a steady pace.

Once we got back along the great highway at about the 16.5 mile point I found myself okay once again. I knew where I was and what I was doing. And I was also leading the pack! Trying not to get too excited about this, I instead keep up the steady beat and take the second and final of my two Gu packs in order to keep my energy up. I’ve been able to hit every water station along the way but every extra bit helps in my opinion. Following the cop ahead I continued along the great highway with my mind clear; the radio station in my head that keeps my mind occupied had gone silent, which made me wonder if I was once again experiencing runner’s high, which tends to give me a boost in clarity in addition to masking over any real pain. Passing another water station, and timing it so I can grab two cups this time, I proceed towards the San Francsico Zoological Gardens and proceed to climb another hill that will lead me towards Lake Merced when one of the ladies at the 30K called out: “Do you know or are related to Bruce?” (Bruce Collett is my dad and has a supernatural knack for running into someone that he knows or who knows him everyplace he goes) Stupefied, because of the randomness of the question, I call back “My name is Brian Collett,” as I start up the hill, which elicits a squeal from the woman in question. “Oh my God!” she yells, “You look just like your dad! Great job!” ...I really don’t know where to go from here, so instead I shake my head with a slight grin as I proceed over the hillside. There’s a group from the National Coast Guard manning the section of the loop that I’ll pass by, and I give a salute as I pass by. I’m still ahead at this point, and moving well.

It’s here where the trouble starts. You see dear reader when I started this madness my biggest fear was that either my knee or my achilles would come apart during the race and I wouldn’t be able to finish. I was so concerned about those two that I never expected trouble from other places. Case in point, my hips started to pain at mile 20, a slow blossoming pain that continued through the concrete road of Lake Merced. The tops of my thighs are also starting to give trouble as I progress through, and while my pace has slowed somewhere in the 7:15 per mile range I’m worried but not stressing too much. I’ve only trained up to 19 miles so anything thing after this point is uncharted territory and I have no idea what will happen. So as my pace slows somewhat I find I’m actually okay with that as long as I’m able to finish at the end of the day. But the pain is building like a tremor in my legs, and sure enough I can a terrible feeling that this won’t go well, despite me slowing down some. I continue through the area around the lake, but despite it being pretty my mind is somewhere else entirely and I’m not able to focus on the sights around me. Only my legs and the path right in front of me.

Then at around mile 23, the unthinkable happens: I hit the wall. No wait, ‘hit’ isn’t the right word for it. More like ‘slams into the wall at full force’. All of a sudden my mind and body are of two different pages. My mind wants to pressure onward, while the pain in my body is saying otherwise. I’m forced to start walking, my hands grabbing the back of hips where the pain is most troublesome, but even that does nothing as I come to the terrible realization that all my strength and speed are gone. Oddly enough I don’t feel dehydrated, but instead exhaustion has kicked in. I try to start up again only to find that my legs have become an old car that revs up for a short time before stopping once again. Sure enough I try to jog and maybe get 100 yards before the tank drains and once again I have to start walking. Come on, Come ON! I think in anguish as I try to move once more, but it’s not working for more than a short bit at a time. I have to proceed like this up the hill back past the Coast Guard booth, but this time I’m in too drained to try and salute. I manage to somehow combo my way up to the top, and from there I can see that while the rest of the way is flat, it’s a long, long distance.

I’m able to get a little momentum on the downhill, but not enough to kick-start my legs back working order, and so I continue to struggle along the great highway toward the end near Golden Gate Park, stopping completely at the last water stop to take 2 big cups, though even that doesn’t help for much. There are people cheering my on heading towards Lake Merced, and I can hear their encouragement even though I’m sure I look like hell at this point. Somewhere along mile 24 a gal in a white tank passes me by, followed quickly by an Asian dude. Is he in my age group? Brian I think you have other problems to worry about right now, I think to myself as I continue to jog/walk. My pace has dropped down to the 11 minute mark, and I’m frustrated by the fact that my legs won’t go and that I’m conscious enough to realize it. Though soon enough that would change in a hurry around mile 25 as my head, which has been razor-sharp so far, begins to swim. As a result instead of going forward the entire time I start to V-step on the course, and the brief moments when I regain control I find that notion scares the hell out of me, as I’ve never passed out at a race before. I’ve got to finish, I think as another gal passes me by, and I try to no avail put on a burst. This continues even as the cheering gets louder, which is the only way I’m able to tell if I’m getting close; I stopped looking at my watch a while ago. But then with half a mile left I hear the voices of several of my teammates, including Diane Batchelor and long-time rival Juan Gomez, cheering me on. And that’s enough. I dig in deep, to where I keep that extra oompf when I desperately need it, and start jogging again getting all the way back to 7:15 again as I press forward. I’m almost there...

I end up finishing 4th Overall and 2nd Man (later revealed to be 5th and 3rd due to the guy’s chip time being slightly faster than mine) and 1st in my age group. I’m happy but barely able to stand, and start to stumble when one of the EMT’s come over and drag me over to the med tent. Laying me down, they elevate my legs and I’m able to answer the basics (Name? Date? Where you are?) after a bit. I lay down for about 10 minutes before I feel good enough to get up, and after getting cleared by the medics, proceed to scarf down two bagels, a banana and a protein shake (Hey, I was hungry). I run into all my friends who are competing as I proceed onward and snag both my cool finisher shirt and Tiffany’s necklace (which actually looks rather simple, like a miniature dog-tag.). There’s a lot here, and after grabbing my bag from the sweat check I proceed to head straight for the massage tent, which I desperately need right now. I hang around as the winners for both the half and full are announced (though not the men. I believe we get stuff mailed to us quietly. Either way I’m not stressing about it much). Then, having seen everything there is to see and do, I walk the two blocks toward the muni-train that will take me all the way back to Powell BART. It has been a long day of running and excitement, but now I just want to head home and rest, maybe catch some football while I’m at it. The greatest challenge has been completed, and while it wasn’t perfect, it’s a journey I won’t soon forget...

Brett MacDonell- IM Hawaii World Championships 2011- with Tri for Real Pleasanton 3 weeks out

noreply@blogger.com (carriechavez) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 22:10:00 +0000

The journey to Hawaii is a long one and not a race you prepare for a month or a few weeks before . Its usually starts as a season long goal somewhere in february or March with some good base training . So as my Ironman training wound down towards a taper 3 weeks before the big event, my training on that weekend was the same as it has been the past 3 years . Saturday was the last truly long ride of a 108+ miles either to the junction on mines road or this yr ,a ride from Livermore around Mt Hamilton , up Sierra rd then back to Livermore . The late afternoon is followed by a 8 mi run . Sunday morning has been preceded by the TRI for Real in Pleasanton to try and shake up the legs with some speed .

Well sunday morning came way too early and it was off to shadow cliffs , the closest race to home . The race started and the swim went fast , the bike was 2 quick loops and then it was putting on the Avi bolts for a little trail run .Off on the run I felt pretty good getting passed by one , and before I knew it the finish had come . My end result of the day was 3rd overall and overall master. Master that just sounds old . But now the race was over, I felt the long hard training had been done ,and just some good swims , shorter quicker bikes and runs were ahead before the big dance.

I arrived In Kona Oct 1, just one week prior to the big day . Kona is different than other races in that its just not the race on Sat ,its about 6 days full of activity . Tues starts with the parade of nations , where people march down Alii drive behind their respective flags as on lookers line the street. The night kicks off a mini interbike so to say,where manufacturers such as Trek display their pros speed concept . Specialized revealed their new shiv in which you could test ride . Ford , k swiss and too many to mention were also there displaying their latest and greatest . Our favorite, Cytomax had a house approx. 3 miles down the road providing cyto to runners and also invited us to a yummy muscle milk pancake breakfast on friday morning .Another sponsor GU was set up giving out their samples not much farther down the road . Thursday is the famous carbo dinner in which I have to admit have avoided the last few years . Not great food and a routine by the two MCs , thats very predictable with music that hasnt changed in at least 5 years . Not to say it cant be fun ,but having to spend 55 on an extra ticket and risk food poisoning I'd take my chances at the condo.

Saturday finally came at 4 am and it was time to make it down to the pier for body marking and final bike prep . I approached the pier sipping cytomax, and soon filled my bike with water bottles and pumped my tires. Before I knew it we were in the water and I like to thank my friend Jason Campbell for making sure my speedsuit was all zipped up. The gun went off and 1700 + were under way . The swim was pretty smooth but I could tell the swells were up in this years swim . Surf was bigger than I ever saw it the whole week in Kona. I eventually exited the swim feeling pretty good and was off to the bike.

Once on the bike I hit my pace and headed on up the road on my livermore cyclery Trek speedconcept. I was feeling good sipping my cyto, cooling myself with water. As I headed up the road I found myself having to back off a few times as huge draft packs made their way by . As I made my way to the turn around at the town of Hawi the winds were picking up . The winds were blowing at the town of Hawi and once there , I grabbed my special needs bag grabbed my cold botles and headed back home . As I looked to my right justice had be served to the many drafters I saw serving time in the penalty tent .Back onto the decent out of Hawi, wind gusts always make you a little bit nervous cause they can blow you off the bike without much notice . But soon the 19 mile stretch back to the highway was over and really the winds were really pretty kind this year. I felt good all the way back to town and had a bike split of 5:10 and was ready to hit the run .

I exited the run in a total time of about 6hrs and 19 min and breaking 10 hrs was well in my grasp. I was 4-5 mins faster than last yrs 9:56 pace as I hit the road in my Avi quest lites and was feeling pretty good . I saw Chris McCrary cheering me on just over a mi into the run . It was hot in town so cooling off at the aid stations was key . I started drinking coke ,water , and GU and was hitting my stride . The top female pros were making their way back through town and I saw the top female cyclist laying on the side of the road with her day done in dire need of medical attention .Just a reminder of what happens in this race. I continued to the first turn around on alii drive and just before the turnaround my stomach became a little troublesome . I stopped at the bathroom and was on my way . About mile 10 after a Pay and save hill you hit the highway. It was now overcast and actually good weather for what it can be . About 3 miles later my troubles continued . I dealt with them and continued to run . My friend Wally who was a great runner in his day , (qualified for marathon trials way back) ,who has done the race 15 times said if you can walk you can jog . That saying has always stuck with me. I believe once you start to walk in a ironman its easy to keep walking. Down the energy lab a dreaded part of the course I went and upon exiting you have about 7 mi to the finish. I continued on knowing my goal time had passed . When you make the turn onto Alii Drive towards the finish the town is lined with spectators . Its a finish that never gets old and even though I was and still am a little disappointed , it always feels good to finish .

My final time was 10:11 my second slowest at this race. Nothing ever goes completely right in a ironman but everyone deals with something, and thats just racing .It was my 3rd ironman of the year ,and something I dont recommend .. Anyway enough rambling ,hope you enjoy this and talk to you all soon,

Brett

Primo’s Half Marathon (10/9/2011) – Todd Toffoli

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Toffoli) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 20:40:00 +0000

Photo by Calvin Wong

If I were to set down my mental list of things to avoid ingesting the day before a race it would look something like this:

Greasy meats

Heavy dairy foods

Sugary foods

Fried foods

Spicy foods

Alcohol

Excessive caffeine

Excessive portions

Between a 1st birthday party (meatballs, chips and dip, assorted rich cheeses, cake, coffee) and an Octoberfest themed barbeque (ribs, sausages, fried potato pancakes, beer-cheese soup, habanero salsa, more coffee) I pretty well covered those bases. Add to that a short night of sleep (late to bed, 3am cat-vomit incident), and things are looking pretty grim.

My plans for Saturday involved running the Primo’s Half Marathon plus enough extra mileage before and after the race to count as an endurance training day for an as yet uncertain upcoming marathon or 50K. The 25 miles I ended up running was the most I’ve done in my Avi Bolt II, which I usually reserve for mileage no greater than a half marathon, but they worked out great: no blisters, no new or unusual pains afterwards.

As far as the race was concerned, things got off to a bad start. I set off on my 2-mile warmup jog a bit late which left me a very narrow window to hit the bathroom before start time. I briefly considered holding it, but that seemed shortsighted, so after waiting in line for a couple minutes, I found myself in a porta potty when the starting buzzer sent the rest of the crowd on their way.

I bolted over to the start 46 seconds late, crossing the line behind the entire mass of half marathon participants. The whole first mile involved weaving through a dense crowd as I made slow progress toward the front of the pack. The nice part about this was that I got to see many Forward Motion teammates along the way, tossing out the occasional understated explanation for myself, “I started late.”

The next problem struck just shy of the mile 2 mark when my shoe came untied. By this time my heart was pumping pretty fast and adding a tremor to my benumbed fingers that made retying the shoe quite a challenge. I lost the better part of a minute before I was safely double-knotted and on my way again.

At that point, I gave up on using any kind of strategy and decided to just have fun and run purely by feel. With so many FMRC members in the race and riding bikes along the course, it was a great chance to see everyone, if only in passing. About halfway through, I found myself on the tail of Katie Murphy, just as she took the lead in the women’s race, dropping the number 2 woman for good. I had regained a lot of ground from a bad start, but as hard as I tried was never able to catch Katie over the last 6 miles. We both finished the last 2.5 miles at a pace well under 6 min/mile.

I came in 7 seconds behind Katie, in 9th place overall, with an official time of 1:23:32 (the top 10 finish secured my “Gun Time” in the records, robbing me of the 1:22:46 “Chip Time” based on my late start. Yes, I know: boohoo). I was happy with the result, especially given the unhealthy intake of the previous day and the sloppy start to the morning.

(One of the great features of the club: rendezvous and refreshments under the tent.)

After a healthy dose of socializing at the FMRC tent and around the finish festival, I set off back towards Danville, capping the day with another 10-mile run as the sun finally made its presence known. The bright and clear and cloudless sky made me glad I had worn my Magsters superfluously all through the grey morning. Finally back to my car, I downed a bottle of CytoGainer for recovery before heading back to my house in Berkeley, where my success was heralded by a series of flyovers by the Blue Angels.

See my Garmin results here: Primo’s Half Marathon

Running Up Half Dome … Really???

noreply@blogger.com (Doug) — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 05:58:00 +0000

Half Dome, the beaming icon of the Yosemite Valley … If you have never been, it is without a doubt something you should do before you leave this earth. I can’t think of another place where there is more natural beauty than here. You will be surrounded by waterfalls, massive amounts of granite, and views that could easily wear out your camera.

So, what did 36 adventurous souls from FMRC do this year as a twist to the “normal” routine? Well, how about “running” up Half Dome. Really??? RUN up Half Dome? Is that possible? Well, let’s just say that there were members of our Team who made it to the top and back before other campers were even finished with their first cup of coffee.

On the weekend of August 20th, 2011, 36 FMRC members and their families took up residence in the Yosemite Valley with a plan. Everyone had their own personal goals for the weekend be it rock climbing, soaking in the natural beauty or for 28 of them, “running” up Half Dome. With a Rise and Shine at 5am, we hit the trailhead by 6am and were on our way. Now to answer your question about “running” up, well, the reality is you can run quite a bit of it but there are definitely many parts that you can’t. But those parts that you can’t are still challenging and can suck the air from your lungs just as fast.

As for me (and many others), the day started with a large Muscle Milk shake and my standard 16 oz’s of OJ. I loaded the fanny pack with 2 large bottles of Cytomax and several GU’s and Chomps for the journey; slapped on the AVIA Trail shoes (perfect for this type of terrain) and the latest Forward Motion Kit … and off we went.

28 runners began their run at the trail head with what felt like 2 miles straight up!!! Thankfully we hit the base of Vernal Falls for a quick regroup to catch our breath. From there it was a run/walk up the Mist Trail (properly named by the way) and then up to the top of Nevada Falls. By this time we had broke into multiple groups as everybody found their rhythm. The trek away from the river had begun as we headed for the back side of the Dome. The run from here gets increasingly steep, increasingly technical and increasingly thin on air! At close to 9000’ at the very top, the oxygen gets a little scarce. But … the views continue to be spectacular and the adrenaline pushes us towards our destination.

After climbing the sub-dome which has steps large enough to trip most NBA players, we finally hit the true base of “The Dome”. Steel cables anchored to the solid granite-face that look almost impossible to conquer. This could be the most intimidating sight you will ever come across and after 8 strenuous miles with only a measly 400 ft of cable left to contend with, you find you have quite a decision to make. Well, several found this to be “good-enough” and that is ok because without 100% complete confidence, you don’t even want to start going up. But of the 28 to start this trek, 17 made it to the top – 7 women and 10 men. Fantastic!!!

Now with a fast-forward back to camp (actually another 2-3 more hours of fun), we roll in with smiles on our faces and stories to tell. And after one of the best showers you will ever take, the 36 FMRC campers pull together for a gourmet meal that most would be envious of. Yes, the Post-Run Party had begun!!! With plenty of food and yes you guessed it, ice-cold Michelob Ultra, the stories began to flow. And what could be better than ice cold Michelob Ultra? How about our very own Michelob Ultra Girls!!! Yes, it’s true. These girls helped pull names and toss out plenty of swag (provided by Forward Motion Sports) to an out of control, cheering, high on life group of athletes who just completed an ominous adventure.

We all came home the next day safe and sound with “no” injuries and I consider this a huge victory!! Thanks to ALL our sponsors for playing a part in so many aspects of this event. It wouldn’t have been what it was without you! And Congrats to everyone who attended and achieved their personal goals! Until next time … stay fit and experience everything life has to offer.

Doug

Julie P – Ebbs & Flows of Tri Life… and a Race Report or two

noreply@blogger.com (Julie Pfeifle) — Sun, 09 Oct 2011 21:02:00 +0000

What a weird couple months it’s been! 2 days after returning from Europe and IM Switzerland in July, I went into work (Yahoo!) on a Friday and returned home at noon, having been laid off. Needless to say, it was a bit of a shock, but all in all, a blessing and a kick in the pants to move on to my next work chapter.

I think I was in adrenaline-pumped denial the first couple weeks and immediately started the job search, while maintaining training and racing. Then, as the weeks wore on and the job offers didn’t materialize, a slightly depressing funk set in. I basically ceased training, except for 1 – 2 runs a week and maybe a bike ride. I bailed on Big Kahuna, one of my favorite races. At first, this lack of training / racing motivation, plus the complementary increase in ice cream consumption added to my funk.

Then, something funny happened. I realized it’s ok! Life, including tri-life, ebbs and flows. I was in a phase of life where structured training and racing just really weren’t important. What was important was re-building my self-confidence, quieting my destructively chattering mind, and of course, the job hunt! That meant spending time with family and friends talking about what was going on, getting invaluable advice, and a lot of self-reflection. HUGE thanks to my husband, who has been my ROCK throughout!!

As far as physical activity, I’ve just been doing what I feel like – that might mean a 3 mile flat easy run with my dogs; or it might be a 1.5 hour trail run (with my super cool Avia Avi-Bolts); or it might be an hour of yoga… LOVE IT!! OR… it might mean nothing! And again, that’s ok! I fully trust that the time and will to train will return; as a matter of fact, I think it’s around the corner. Watching IM Hawaii yesterday certainly brought it closer!

And now, for the long-delayed race reports! In my adrenaline-pumped, post-layoff days, I raced twice – California International Triathlon and the Fast’n Furious 5k. Both races were preceded by late night, social festivities which involved a bit of drinking. I wouldn’t recommend this approach, but fortunately, my IM base and post-layoff emotions (anger?) over-compensated.

At CIT, my brain was definitely foggy, as I forgot my timing chip and then almost forgot to get my body marked. My goal for this race was to remind myself that I really can run (after my disappointing IM Swiss race.) Goal achieved with a quick 10k on trails, including some sub-8 miles. Won my age group. More importantly, loved seeing and supporting all the red, white, and black FoMos out there!

A week later, I ran the F&F 5k – the first 5k I’ve run in many, many years, so really didn’t know what to expect. I plugged my Disney marathon time into one of those online run calculators and used a target 7:23 pace. Didn't eat anything pre-race; just sipped Cyto (my tummy was kinda upset from the night's festivities.) Walked to the race start from my house (how easy is that??) Hung out w/ fellow FoMos for a bit, then did my own warm-up and placed myself solo around upper mid-pack. Gun went off, and I pushed and pushed and pushed the whole way, trying to pick off FoMo women in my sights. Never did catch or even see speedy Rosaura Tennant from my age group, who ended up 3rd overall and not listed in AG results. So, I was AG1, but really … 2, with a 7:14 PR pace of which I was extremely happy.

By the way, I am working now – consulting half-time for a start-up – and seriously weighing part-time consulting vs. another full-time corporate gig. It’s kinda nice being able to pick up my daughter everyday at school!

Run in the Park – Tilden (10/1/2011) – Todd Toffoli

noreply@blogger.com (Todd Toffoli) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 03:39:00 +0000

It is before dawn on Saturday when I am scraped out of bed by the sound of my phone singing, “Always look on the briiiiight side of life.” My cat’s Pavlovian response to my alarm has her up as well, doing figure-eights around my legs and voicing the cat equivalent of mumbling until I scoop food into her bowl to release myself from the fluffy familiar.

I like to give my body ample time to readjust to the waking world before a race, so I am up early in spite of the fact that I’ve only got to get up into Tilden Park by 8am for the penultimate event in the Run in the Park Series. With a two-hour buffer for digestion, I crunch down some granola and slug a shot of espresso before gearing up. I’ve been tired and slow all week long from my extreme exertion at the Trail Hog half marathon last weekend. Stretching this morning reveals that sore spots are still tender, tight joints still locked. Things don’t look promising, but the adrenaline boost I get from a race atmosphere has helped me overcome similarly doubt-inspiring circumstances.

Upon arrival at the Meadows picnic area, I check in at the registration desk to retrieve my bib and go through my pre-game routine to get the blood flowing. I drain a bottle of Fast Twitch, hoping a few electrolytes and another jolt of caffeine will be the silver bullet to my morning sluggishness. I jog up the hill from the parking lot, following course markings up the dirt trail toward the ridge line.

The fog cover makes for a grey morning, but I keep my Magster sunglasses on, knowing the wind that often blows in from The Bay is enough to get the eyes watering something fierce. I use my warmup as a chance to make sure my Avi Stoltz are snuggly fitted to maximize traction and minimize the chance of blisters on the way downhill. I’ve got Zensah compression sleeves that should help keep my calves from falling apart on the steep trail. If I am not well rested, I am at least well armed.

There are many familiar faces lined up at the start, and I note that most of those at the front of the pack are wearing the black-numbered 5K bib rather than the red-numbered 10K bib. I’m doing the 10K, so this lends some degree of relief when the initial burst from the gate leaves me behind about half a dozen runners charging aggressively up the hill. I find myself chasing a couple runners that I would expect to be ahead of on a good day.

We work our way along the winding trail of compacted dirt, following the contours of the valley at an upward angle toward the crest of the ridge. Within the first mile, I overtake a couple of the 5K runners who have begun to slacken their pace on the relentless uphill. I still feel strong as we near the end of the ascent and the 5K turnaround with the lead runner within sight.

To my surprise, all the runners in front of me turn back down the trail, leaving me alone in the lead as I head out along the paved ridge trail off Inspiration Point. I do most of my distance training on this trail and the familiarity is an advantage as I pace myself along the rolling hills. I know where to build momentum and where to conserve. I run strategically and I run hard. After the turnaround, I learn that I have a commanding lead as I pass the 2nd and 3rd place runners duking it out in the other direction. I push to increase my lead over the remaining paved portion of the course, warned of the technical terrain on the final stretch of downhill dirt.

I clear the final climb back to the Inspiration Point parking lot and barrel down the trail for the homestretch. The last mile and a half is a steep descent, peppered with 5K runners, roots, rocks, dry washes that all require shuffle-stepping, leaping, or otherwise dodging to maintain reckless control as I sprint downhill. I have to remove my sunglasses in order to see and avoid obstacles in the mottled shade of the tree enshrouded trail. At some point, my shoe comes untied, but the lace locks hold fast and I decide to ignore the flopping strings in order to keep my momentum.

I make it all the way down unscathed, but nearly slip 20 feet short of the finish as the terrain changes from dirt to wet grass. Undaunted, I cruise across the line with a time of 40:22, claiming 1st place and earning myself the winner’s coffee mug. What a nice surprise for a day that began with such uncertainty.

See my Garmin results here: Run in the Park - Tilden

Mount Diablo Challenge - by Steven Chavez

noreply@blogger.com (Steven Chavez) — Tue, 04 Oct 2011 00:13:00 +0000

Mount Diablo Challenge Race- 10/2/2011

This is the yearly race to get from the Athenian School to the summit. This was my first attempt at this classic race as it is so close to the Ironman World Championship. I usually skip the race to continue with my race taper. Since Carrie and I had decided to focus on the 70.3 World Championship, she had signed up in advance to get into one of the faster waves. When a race entry became available from one of our FMRC team members who had torn his rotator cuff, and good friend Kevin Dielissen, she jumped at the chance to get me into the race. I got my conformation from the race and was officially in.

Carrie and I left our house to park near the mountain so we could ride over to the mountain. We packed some dry clothes for the top in the event the temperature as going to be cold on the way down. We rode with Tanya Grossman over to the start to pick up our race numbers. I was fortunate enough to get moved from the fourth wave to the second wave.

I decided to keep my arm warmers on since the sun had not come out. I ended up keeping them on for the ride up and back down. As the race was after to start and everyone started to move towards the start, I noticed a couple of thorns in my rear tire. The first wave went off and I decided to fix my tire. I rushed over to the side and proceeded to get the tire off. Carrie came over to help but I told her I would take care of and didn't want her to miss the start of wave 2. I was just to get the tire back on the rim and the gun for wave 2 started. I pulled out my CO2 canister and attempted to put air in the tire. The air shoot all over and not though the tip. Ok, I had another cartridge, it did not work any better than the first. One of the officials yelled to get a pump. The gun for wave 3 goes off! I now frantically looking around for someone with a pump. I remember there is a support truck from Devil Mountain Cyclery at the entrance to the school. I run down the hill and they have a pump to get me back on the road. Yippee!!

I run back to the start which is getting ready for wave 4. The starters tells to just to get going since I missed my wave and to be careful of the pot holes in the first mile. I was lucky to go through this section without all the other racers dodging the holes. I get up to the first gate and start to catch some of the women from wave 3, this is a all women wave. It was nice to ride the mountain without worrying about cars coming up behind you or coming down. I was using the entire road getting up to the Pay Gate. Just as I got around the building, I was passed by two guys flying up from wave 4. As I was getting to Rock City, another 3 riders go by. I was amazed on how fast they were going up the mountain. I was heading the last climb to the Junction getting pass the lead woman in wave 3.

I was feeling good as I went past the Junction, on my way to the top! I was moving ok with an occassional guy passing me from wave 4, put I was catching up the guys from wave 2. About 2 miles past the Junction, boom, my rear time goes again. It was completely flat, right to the rim. I thought I would wait for Carrie to come down since I had no CO2 left. I decided I would change the flat since I still had a new tube and hopefully get a CO2 cartridge or a pump from someone coming up.. The first group of guys went by and stated "what a bummer", "that's a drag". Then a guy came by and asked if I need anything, I told him need some air. He pulled over and gave his CO2 and adapter and he would get it at the top. I thanked him and away he rode. I could not figure out how to get the adapter to work. Just then, Mike McGarry, FRMC member, came by and asked if needed help. I told him that I needed some air, he stated he had a new high pressure pump. I could not get it ont the valve so Mike help me hold it on while I tried to pump some air in the tire. We were able to get about 60 lbs. in and decided to try to make a run to the top. Mike took off while got me wheel back on the bike and away I went. I was able to move up the hill and caught Mike near the top where we made the run up the wall to the finish.

Woohoo! Made it up the hill where Carrie, Tanya, and Mike Parry were waiting. I thanked Mike for the use of his pump as we used it incorrectly but still manage enough air. There was a bike shop on top and they had a pump so I could fill up the tire for the way down the hill. Total time with 2 flats, 1 hour 19 minutes. I am ready for the Challenge next year.

Tanya G: Mt. Diablo Challenge, Sub 60!! So excited and surprised!

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 03:52:00 +0000

Time: 58:33 (or something like that)

3rd overall female

Wave 2 start

Ave power: 207 watts

Carrie Chavez talked me into doing this event. She can be very persuasive. I hadn't ridden Mt. Diablo in, hmm, 10 years, when I registered. Thankfully, I was given several opportunities to reaquaint myself with the mountain before the event, although I only actually summited once during this time. (Most of my rides were only up to the junction and back, due to family and time constraints.) This was also to be my first 'real' ride with compact cranks + Quarq power. I changed my rear cassette out from an 11-28 (which I used with standard cranks, adding the 28 for the last TT Mt. Diablo earlier this season) to an 11-25.

But enough with the gear geeky-ness. I really did not know much about the Mt. Diablo Challenge, except for what Carrie had told me on the times we climbed it. She told me to register for Wave 2. (Wave 1 was for the athletes that definitely go under an hour, Wave 2 was for 60 to 1:10, up to the women's-only Wave 4.) She said that going under an hour for the event was a coveted thing, and that very few women do it every year. She also reminded me that the roads right after the Athenian School are in very poor condition - think about potholes big enough to drown in. Then think about trying to navigate those with 200 of your closest friends within the wave. She told me that I was annoying when I tried to make small talk when we rode up the mountain. She also told me that I'd be able to go under an hour. Of course, I knew these last two bits of information were faulty and worthless.

The day before the race I got an email from my roadie training friend (whom I call one of my Sunday bike boyfriends) with the title "Sub 60, let me see the shirt!" JD had some great advice for the course, and even more importantly, he also told me that I could do it - go under an hour. Unsolicited. Maybe Carrie was right. Come to think of it, he has also dropped me in the past after I heckled him from the rear wheel incessantly climbing up Old Tunnel, or Palomares, or Redwood. So maybe I need to stop talking to my training partners while we're climbing, too. Anyway....

Carrie, Steve and I parked near our friend and training partner's home Tom Glynn, who lives very close to Mt. D (and who is tapering for Kona!!!! Go Tom!). Michael Parry met up with us to warm up, and ride to the start. I am so thankful for the company and comeraderie. Thisis why I'm on a team. While waiting for Wave 1 to start (& 5 min between waves), I got claustrophobic and lifted my bike up and out of the waiting masses and off to the sidelines to watch the start up close, and then to get a good position for Wave 2 start. Michael decided to join me.

The gun went off, and so did all of us. I navigated around the craters in the road early on best I could, and tried to ride the shortest tangents (I believe this is the only time of year when the roads are closed to cars). I kept my eyes on Michael, and tried to follow behind him but still stay within myself effort-wise (watching the HR). When we hit Rock City, I could see that Michael was pulling 6-7 riders behind him. I put out a little extra effort, and caught onto the backside of the Parry train. Ah, rest. The next hill after Rock City scattered the followers, and I hung with Parry for awhile longer. Early on, I had realized that the woman I was chasing up ahead with the flowing grey hair and blue jersey was actually a man, and I ended up riding with him and one other rider (red jersey guy) the rest of the way to the top (another 30 minutes). So much for chasing pony tails.

Our little core group of scattered riders became smaller and smaller as we got closer to the top. Skin suit, Hammer Guy, heavy breather guy, Taleo Guy... they all dropped off. (I tend to give people nicknames in my head.) I am accustomed to hanging onto the rear wheels of my bike boyfriends for dear life in these sort of efforts, but instead, I became the bike boyfriend, pulling breathless men uphill for feet at a time until they either spun off the back or pulled ahead after apparently a nice break.

I got cheered on from a sweet girl I passed from Wave 1: "Go Carrie!" She says. Every brunette with a FMRC jersey gets called Carrie at some point. Clearly, that girl gets around on a bike.

Things get fuzzy after about 45 minutes into this thing. I eased off a bit to get out of tunnel vision.

46 min: I noticed something squished and brown in the road, and wondered if it was a Clif Bar, or poop. Isn't that wierd how they can look the same?

47 min: Took a swig of my Tropical Fruit Cytomax, which is oh so good. Hey look, I'm above the fog and clouds.

48 min: Not feeling well. Sort of nauseous. Who is that breathing so hard, almost wheezing? Red jersey guy? A-NOY-ING.

52 min: Wait, I think it's ME that's breathing so hard. Are those power lines I see up ahead? I seem to remember those close to the end. I will pick it up now. Back to tunnel vision.

56 min: I ask the red jersey guy desperately, "Are we almost there yet?" I can see no end. He says, "Yes, about 3 minutes. Is that good? Or bad?" I grunt a response.

57 min: The HILL. Why did I get rid of my 28??? Pain is temporary, glory is forever! I think I remember hearing that in one of Krag's spin classes. I wonder if it would be faster to get off my bike and run it up the hill.

58:33 - I cross the finish, a photographer willingly takes a photo of me grimacing (and probably drooling) as I grind it out at the end. Really? I can assure you that I will NOT be buying that one. I shake red jersey guy's hand as my new best friend, and hug Michael, and position myself close to the timing pad to cheer Carrie in. (By the way, she was all cute and smiling and NOT sweaty when she got her picture. What the heck?)

So grateful for my friends and training partners who get me out there consistently, and for believing that I can do things when I'm not so sure myself. Congrats to Carrie on a new PR, and Michael for a searing 57 minute time. I promise to stop talking up the next hill. XOXO

Tanya G: Mt Diablo Time Trial

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 03:39:00 +0000

1st Cat 4 in time trial up the north side to the junction, put on by the Wells Fargo team. Showing off the cool schwag!

Tanya G: Berkeley Bike Club Crit 7/2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 03:35:00 +0000

1st across the line in Cat 4 and Masters 35+

Tanya G: My first crit! Burlingame 6/2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya) — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 03:26:00 +0000

2nd in the Cat 4 and 35+ division - the "age group" triathlete in me, I didn't know I could have just been a regular Cat 4 just as easily.

Tanya G: Oceanside 70.3 4/2/11

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 21:51:00 +0000

Oceanside 70.3 is an early race. Early in the season, that is. I’m what you may call ‘old school.’ I remember when Wildflower was considered early (held a month later, in May), and I used to hang up my bike in winter season for months at a time. Triathletes didn’t train in the off season (that’s why it was called OFF season!), and my favorite Paula Newby-Frasier quote was “You have to get out of shape to get back in it.”

But now people have training plans for the off season. Instead of gaining 5-10 pounds of winter coat, triathletes these days are gaining speed and fitness in the winter months. I find it hard to stay motivated to get on my bike when the weather dips to 50 and below, so last fall I decided to sign up for this race to keep me going on those cold days when I’d rather be on the couch.

For those who aren’t aware, Oceanside is home to Camp Pendleton (the Marines base). Hundreds of soldiers volunteer to assist for this race - both for pre-event activities, as well as at aid stations throughout the course.

I rode up to the transition area in darkness, my head full of anxious thoughts. I was worried about entering the cold water, worried because I hadn’t previewed the bike course, and concerned that I would not have the ‘juice’ to run strong at the end. My journey in preparing for this race had been pretty bumpy and interrupted. The last obstacle had been a bout of the stomach flu in the days before the race, leaving me feeling weak and “noodley,” and 2 pounds lighter (and not in a lean-and-strong way).

However, pre-race jitters disappeared immediately when I thought of all our service men and women, and how they must feel before they face deployment, or enter the line of fire. It may sound cheesy, but I instantly realized what a privilege it was to have the freedom and the health to enter this physical endeavor for the fun and challenge of it. I felt grateful to these people who serve our country, and who were pointing my way into the transition at that very moment. I then saw my “fears” as insignificant in the proper perspective. My attitude turned to one of simple gratitude. I took my watch off, and decided that I would enjoy the journey instead of worrying about times.

Swim: We were corralled by age group in a line-up for wave starts. I ate a bag of Gu Chomps there, as we had about an hour of standing in wetsuits, waiting to be let down into the water. I also made sure to drink Cytomax the day before as well as the morning of the race, as I had been feeling continually dehydrated and depleted from being sick earlier in the week.

There were sea otters playing in the water as the pro’s swam through the boat harbor. The Challenged Athletes (many amputees and soldiers with war injuries) went off in a wave after the pros, and I had the honor of seeing one man (with I believe was an above-knee amputation) exit the water toward transition. He was moving swiftly using bilateral crutches, and his redheaded son of about 6 years was running next to him, holding onto one of the crutches. The crowd (including all of us other athletes waiting our turn) erupted in cheers. It was so touching!

My swim was thankfully uneventful. I had been hoping for a pre-race warm-up, but they only let you into the water in the 1.5 minutes before your wave start in order to swim up to the start line. The temperature was refreshing and perfect, and the water was calm. The only difficulty I had was navigating around all the other swimmers out on the course, especially one or two buoys in. The wave groups seemed to be all jammed together around the back half of the course.

Bike: My mantra was “take it easy.” I usually work hard here, but I just didn’t feel like I had it in me on this day to hammer it out. I just kept telling myself to keep it steady but below a certain level of perceived exertion, as I wanted to be sure I’d be able to finish the day. This is where I could really see the benefit of having something like a power meter, for an objective variable to monitor.

I took about 6 Endurolyte caps (Hammer Nutrition), and downed 3 scoops of Sustained Energy (also Hammer) which were in my front aero bottle. I also had about 4 Vanilla Gu’s along the way. I replenished the front bottle occasionally with water and Cytomax (in other bottles on my bike), and successfully avoided all the aid stations on the course.

On the way back to transition, I thought the dismount/entry was a lot closer than it really was. I had my feet out of the bike shoes way too soon... I think I must’ve ridden another almost 2 minutes in my socks on top of the shoes!

Run: It was so motivating to see the Challenged Athletes out there making their way on the course. Personally, I felt myself loping along, going slower than I would have liked, but seeing people running with prosthetics and assistive devices kept things in perspective for me and kept me focusing on what is really important.

During the run, I had about 6 more Endurolyte Caps as well as the drink provided at the aid stations. I carried two Gu’s with me, but didn’t take them.

The course is two loops, and at about mile 2 is a playground on the beach. My husband cheered me along several times as I passed to and fro. I found myself a little distracted on the first pass, though, when my husband said, “Great job, honey! The kids [ages 4 and 6] are out there somewhere (gestures toward the ocean!) swimming.” For the next 5 miles or so, I had visions of two little blondes bobbing up and down, set adrift at sea. Not exactly comforting. Thankfully, my husband and kids were there on my last pass towards the finish, so my mind was put at rest.

I did get passed by a few girls in my age group, and watched their backs as they pulled away ahead of me. It just wasn’t my day, I knew, but the most painful pass was the girl who surged in the final stretch to the finish chute. Although I had been holding back the whole day in fear of burning my last match, after she went by, I waited, did some self talk, and then decided to pick it up. Unfortunately, I had waited too long, and was unable to catch her. I did derive some weak satisfaction from causing her to continually look over her shoulder to see if I was coming.

Overall, although it wasn’t the race of my life here this year, Oceanside 70.3 is a fantastic venue. I couldn’t ask for better weather, scenery, race organization or volunteers, and it’s a great place to bring the family on a little vacation. You may see me back here next year, and I might even try to “redeem” myself a bit.

Cheers, Tanya

Tanya G: Reservoir Tri (Olympic Distance) 2011

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 21:49:00 +0000

2nd in age group, 6th overall

Swim: 58 degrees of relatively “open” space. At the end right before I went to stand up, some guy grabbed my arm, which caused me to come upright quickly, and made my hamstring seize up temporarily. That was a ‘NOT COOL’ move by that other competitor, but I recovered quickly and headed out. 27:51

T1: 1:16 Last year it was so cold, I tried (in vain) to put arm warmers on (very difficult to do when wet) and settled on gloves I had borrowed at the last minute from my husband. THIS year, no additional clothing needed! Much warmer this time around. 1:16

Bike: “I got a flat!!!” I was so disappointed, I felt like screaming that to everyone I saw for the rest of the race. At about mile 10 there was a ton of broken glass in the road (which I saw too late to avoid), and like clockwork, at mile 14, there goes the rear tire; a tubular on the carbon race wheel. Like I dummy I was unprepared for a flat (such a short bike!!), so I slowed down and rode a bit on the flat, worried that I was damaging the wheel. I finally stopped and started asking everyone on bikes if they had anything... one VERY NICE guy gave me his Race Ready foam inflater. I thanked him profusely (we both had never used one before, but it’s very easy to figure out), and was on my way again.

I was so mad, I rode hard enough to make me dizzy. The winds were also in our favor here this year. Last year I won the women’s bike preem here, and felt like I could’ve done really well again here this year, on track to beating last year’s time by 2-3 minutes, before having to stop with the flat. 1:12:37

T2: 00:47

Run: Hilly! Last year I cramped right off the bike (but I was also smack in the middle of “the cleanse,” with low carbs). This time, I felt strong and steady. I ran out of real estate to make my way up the field as I usually NEED to after the swim, but felt like I stayed at threshold for most of it. 45:11

Gu Chomps before the swim, and Cytomax (“Natural”) on the bike are all I needed to stay powered up for this race. I did take 2 Hammer Endurolytes at the end of the bike, as well, just to make sure I didn’t cramp on the run like last year.

2:27:42

2nd age group, 6th woman overall

I had a great time hanging out with other FMRC folks, especially Sharley Simpson and Pamela Herbert. See you at the next race!

http://www.svetiming.com/events/Reservoir-Triathlon/results

Tanya G: Fast and Furious Criterium, Cat 3& 4

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 21:16:00 +0000

“So, is the transformation nearly complete?” I was asked sarcastically, after I pantomimed someone riding in tri bars while I told a story. How I ended up criterium racing (and transforming into a “roadie,” apparently) is not really an interesting chronicle, but I will tell it nonetheless.

I have been racing triathlon since 1997, with a brief hiatus from 2004-2007 while having kids and basically trying to survive, juggling work and family obligations. Having one of my closest friends killed while she was riding in 2008 was also a huge obstacle for me to really come back to the sport. During my entire time of triathlon, though, I have somehow avoided bike racing, even though the bike is probably my strongest leg in triathlon. I’ve sent my husband off to countless crits with a smile and a wave, without a single thought of doing one myself.

Fast forward to 2011. I’m on the triathlete side of an “elite” team, and supposed to do a certain number of races this season. Then I went and I tore my medial meniscus in May, rendering me unable to run longer distances. The next setback was when my triathlon bike (and mountain bike) were stolen from my garage in early July, putting the nail in the coffin for my Vineman Half Ironman ideas (I had even gotten a cortisone shot in the knee as preparation!). I felt guilty, falling short of my obligation. The only thing I could do was ride. I sort of felt backed into a corner with that one. (Well, okay, I could swim, too, but what’s exciting about placing 30th in a swim event?)

It was out of this sheer, self-inflicted guilt, as well as with the amazing support, ego-boosting and hand-holding from Chris McCrary, and sideline cheering from Kevin Magna, that I raced in my first criterium in June. This then led me to Fast n’ Furious (by then my 3rd crit), put on by none other than Kevin and Chris.

This was my first event that combined Cat 4 (mine) with Cat 3. I was nervous. It was also the biggest field I’d raced in yet. I did a few laps before the race started, and felt like a rock star with all the cheers as I went around. Someone (Reid Swanson?) yelled to me that my number was pinned on upside down -- oops, rookie mistake. I didn’t even know it mattered, but apparently it does. I fixed it just in time to roll up to the start in the very back. I glanced to my right to see Monica and Pete Zucker on the sidelines. I gave them a look like “What the heck have I gotten myself into?”, and we were off.

I won’t bore you with the details of my particular race. Very nice touches were that the Bott dots were removed from the road (hit one of those the wrong way while turning a corner while flanked by riders, and you can see why it’s so nice when they’re gone!) and the volunteers were AMAZING. There were a few crashes, but thankfully none involved me. My strategy, having no teammates (and barely any experience), was to hang low and not sprint for any preems (save those ‘matches’ for the end, because I’ve learned you DO pay for those efforts), and do my best to not pull around the backside of the loop (headwind and slight uphill).

For the last lap, I decided to make my “move” coming around the last corner to sprint to the finish. My reasoning was, I’d never done a race with Cat 3 before and was afraid that if I went out earlier (and in that headwind and uphill) that I would just be used and then passed by the masses at the end. My strategy won me 3rd across the line and 1st in the Cat 4 division.

The thought of road and criterium racing sends my heart racing and stomach butterflying. That is an exciting sensation - something new to experience; a different way to compete, and also connect with other people. However, when I close my eyes at night, I sometimes also have nightmares about crashing, or being hit by a car while on my bike, and it is difficult to reconcile these conflicting feelings of excitement, joy, and fear.

Many thanks to Forward Motion, Livermore Cyclery, Cytomax, Gu, and Rudy Project for keeping me going. My next race is Giro di San Francisco, Cat 4 -- wish me luck!

Tanya G: Giro di San Francisco

noreply@blogger.com (Tanya) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 21:13:00 +0000

After my first criterium in Burlingame back in June, a fellow cyclist told me that podium-ing (is that a verb?) at Giro di SF is like “putting a feather in your cap.” I didn’t give it much thought, though, as I was still holding out for Vineman, and hopeful that my knee would improve and I’d be back to running and racing triathlon. I did ask around a little later about this race, and was told by some that the roads were in bad condition, a race full of potholes and crashes. Not really selling it for me.

Three months later, and the knee was still limiting my runs to 3-5 miles, 1-2 times a week (time enough to recover from the first run of the week to get a second one in). Triathlons weren’t happening. I had also crashed on Grizzly Peak and cracked a few ribs while training with friends about a month earlier and I wasn’t sure how those infamous potholes on the Giro would feel, but Kevin Magna offered to go with me to this crit, so I signed up. (PS - I LOVE my Rudy Project helmet. I had just “upgraded” before the aforementioned crash that saw me flip over my bars and and knock my head before landing on my back. That helmet is so much more cushy on the inside than my previous helmet - it says something when I hit my head first and that turned out fine -- no, that point is NOT negotiable -- and hit my back after and ended up breaking my ribs.)

One of the big differences for me, between triathlon and bike racing, is less need for all that pre-race “preparation.” The night before we had our neighbors over, and our kids played together in our backyard and in the hottub while we hung out, BBQ’d, drank wine, and ate s’mores cooked over the firepit. In hindsight, I probably should have sat that one out. The next morning at 5am, I felt like I could use another several hours of sleep, to say the least. But Magna had risked his life by leaving the Danville bubble to come get me in the ‘hood, so I got my things together and headed out the door.

The Cat 4 Women was the first wave of the day. I took several pre-race laps, and was surprised to find the big big ol’ hill up out of the third turn of the course. Yes, I had heard that there was a hill. But I also heard chatter at the other 4 crits I had done about some “hill” or another to find nothing more than a speedbump-sized incline, and I had gathered that criterium racers are prone to “hill hyperbole.” But this was a get-out-of-your-saddle hill. I was excited!

Our start was delayed by a few minutes as workers furiously patched a few larger potholes on the course. I chatted with some ladies that I had recognized from some of the earlier races this season, but then it was ‘go’ time. The criterium went, well, as criteriums go, with the group of us riding around, and around, and around, at varying intensities. One girl’s Garmin popped off her bike on the backside of the course (did I mention the rough roads?), but she opted not to stop. I noticed that some girls were getting tired up that hill as the course wore on, but that there was a core group of very strong ladies powering up each time. There were also several “close calls,” with people taking corners crazily, passing on the inside right before a turn, not holding lines, etc. I really, really did not want to go down again so soon after breaking my ribs, and this all made me nervous (not like I’m a pro either, but close calls are close calls).

As for strategy, again, another area where I am not a pro. I did make a decision to not try for any of the preems - a decision I was happy with when I saw several girls with VERY strong surges for those preems “power out” somewhat by the end of the race. My plan was to wait for the last lap, and when we hit that hill to go hard and try to hold out to the end. I surged, and at the top of the hill before the turn, I was in front. However, when I looked around, there were girls close to my wheel. The rest of the course is a long stretch of slight downhill, then three turns of downhill before the stretch to the finish. I lacked the confidence to continue surging -- again, I have this fear that I will be used and then get passed in the last little stretch to the line when I don’t have any sprint left in the legs. If there was more climbing I would have continued to go for it, but I have “issues of inadequacy” on the flats. So, I soft pedaled and let a few get in front, and rode someone’s rear wheel until the last turn. Then it was a sprint to the end, and I ended up 3rd across the line. There were many strong cyclists in this race, and probably one of the toughest crit courses I’ve seen in my limited experience. Very impressed.

I then froze my arse off for what seemed like an hour while we waited for our Category’s awards/podium. It was fun, and intimidating, to watch the women’s Cat 3 race, and amusing to watch Kevin take pictures of garbage along the course (hey, it is the City) and speakers duct-taped to street lights.

Cytomax and Gu Chomps are my pre- and during race fuel of choice. Thank you also to Forward Motion, Livermore Cyclery, and all of you who are still reading by the end of this rambling.

noreply@blogger.com (John Fulton) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 02:58:00 +0000

IF THE SHOE FITS...

BY JOHNNY FULTON

September 18, 2011

Notes from Malibu Olympic Triathlon.

*The Nautica Malibu triathlon is one of the best races on the West Coast.

*Zuma Beach water is warmer than San Francisco Bay water.

*Checking in the day before is good. Getting body marked the day before and then checking into the Sheraton with 1000 thread count white sheets is bad. I Hope I am not billed for the fact my sheets have #1091 and #55 stenciled from my body markings onto the beautiful white sheets.

*Cyotmax Fasttwitch is the absolute best.

*Cytomax Fastwitch and RedBull -...not so good.

*One Bagel, one bottle of Cyotmax Fasttwitch, one bottle of Cyotmax Maise on the bike is the perfect fuel for an Olympic distance.

*You can solve the worlds problems on the drive from the Bay Area to L.A.

*Hope and I went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium a week prior to the race for our anniversary. We learned young adult sharks migrate every September off the coast of Malibu. I was first AG out of the water. Fastest swim ever...

*I love room service.

*I like the way the So Cal organizers group competitors in transition by age group.

*Scoping out my AG competitors, it is usually not a good sign to see a 150lb flyweight sporting a “USAT NATIONALS” sweatshirt racking next to you.

*The 150lb flyweight beat me...

*I lost a shoe 1/2 mile from T2. Elected to not stop and get it.

*I took 2nd place by 30 seconds. Good call to not stop and get the shoe, but that shoe was worth $175.00

*Your run becomes slower if you don’t run very much.

*Glad I have a good swim and bike.

*Avia Bolts have not let me down for two years. Even with “sand coated feet” they went on easy, stayed on strong, and took me to the finish. And my feet looked really good.

*Seeing Jeff Mapes on the run course made me run faster.

*Seeing CAF athlete Travis Ricks who is a “high thigh amputee from cancer complications due the 25 mile bike course with no prothestic one leg pedaling the entire way made me bike faster.

*At the end of the race, somebody brought a white Specialized, size 46 Triathlon bike shoe to my bike and put it on my handlebars. Size, correct, color, correct, little big toe shoe dent, correct. colors, correct. My shoe came back to me. So Cal is a nice place.

*Standing on a podium is ALWAYS a great feeling.

*You can solve more world problems driving from L.A. to No Cal.

*I love triathlon and being different than the 55 year old norm.

*I realized when I got home, the shoe that mysteriously came back to me had a regular “Look” cleat, and not the Look KEO I use. Not my shoe. Same size, same model, same wear.... If the shoe fits....

*I love being a part of FMRC!

Jail Break Run 10K 7/172011

noreply@blogger.com (Christine B) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 22:19:00 +0000

The sky looked stormy as I picked up Forward Motion Racing Team member Rosaura - but we remained optimistic. I had never been to Sant Rita Jail and was greatful to run othe outside of the electrical fence rather than the inside the jail courtyard. Once again I was greatful to have done all those runs up Las Trampas on the Wed. night runs at Forward Motion and my legs were trained for hills. It was a great course around the neighborhood in Dublin and many neighbors came out to cheer us on. Great fund raiser for the Special Olympics and I am fortunate to know a collegues friend whom just raced in Greece for the Special Olympics in the 200, relay and Fun to see so many Foward Motion Runners and cheering others on. I ran a good time running with the team and I placed 1st in my age group and 1st overall .

Wharf to Wharf 7/242011

noreply@blogger.com (Christine B) — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 21:48:00 +0000

Once again great to arrive at a race and see so many Forward Motion Running team members present. It was great to hang out at the start and warm up together. The start of this race was a bit crazy as it appeared to be a possible stampede. Thanks to Steve Chavez whom refreshed my memory of the couse as I had not run this race in several years I was prepared for numerous corners and how to navigate the big crowd. Again settleing into a good pace I heard my name yelled from the sidelines only to see faces from the years before whom I haven't seen. Many people recognize the Forward Motion racing outfit and were cheering for the whole team . I ran smooth on the first part of the race and decided to see if I had it in me to pick up the pace again - which I did to catch a few runners whom were slowing down. I was able to hold the momentum for the next mile and began looking forward to the downhill finish. I greeted by some of the Forward Motion Runners at the end and finished 4th overall in my age group 19th overall woman.