2008 was the Dipsea race that almost ended it all for me as a future participant. That is how I felt, numerous times during the race, struggling just to keep moving on Dynamite and then Hogsback. It was such a disappointment to be feeling that way while doing a race which had been on my mind all year long.

My training had been going well and I had high hopes for a strong race. Leading up to the Dipsea that year I raced in two Tamalpa Club races. These races told me that my training was on track and gave me a lot of confidence.

Shortly after the second Tamalpa race, and about 5 weeks before the Dipsea I came down with the flu. This was very depressing but I remained patient. Several weeks later I began to ramp up my preparation again and hit another obstacle. On a run one day, I was pushing pretty hard uphill when my quad seized up. I couldn’t run at all after that. I ended up walking back home. This injury continued to persist for many days and finally started to feel better but only with less than two weeks to go. I was beginning to panic.

The weekend before the big day I decided to test my fitness and see how the quad felt on the actual course. My plan was to run up to Cardiac and back and use good judgment to dictate my pace. The run felt very good, my time splits were close to my goal marks and my legs felt solid with no lingering pain in my quad. I finished the run pleased with the effort and headed back home.

In retrospect this was not the best lead up as I felt the effects of that run big time upon waking the next morning. My legs were sore and I felt drained most of the week. I was also obsessed with following a rather strict tapering regimen and then on Dipsea morning an extended pre-race warm-up. This preparation combined with a rather hot day on the course proved disastrous. I felt terrible. No energy, dead legs and little will to keep going. On my way up to Cardiac I even began to have thoughts about not entering the next year because I was sure I was going to miss the Invitation cutoff. As I crested Cardiac I looked down and saw that my split was actually right near that cutoff edge. This gave me just enough of a boost to keep pushing and I finished with about a minute to spare, keeping me back in the race another year.

In reflection, although avoiding illness and injury were also on my mind I knew that I needed to rethink my training if I wanted to race at a new level. I was not happy just scraping by and thought that I should be able to move much closer to the front. This meant formulating a strategy and possibly following a specific training plan. I had never done this before. I always have been able to train hard and rarely lack the motivation to get out the door. Winging it though just wasn’t working and incorporating a real plan seemed like the way to go. Although a bit hesitant at first, once I found a plan I actually enjoyed the structured approach.

The big difference was the focus on intervals and speed work. Short and long intervals, flat and hill repeats. I even incorporated a unique drill called Tabata which consists of sprinting for 20 seconds, then resting 10 and repeating this cycle 8 times. I think the act of really working my race system was the boost I needed to absorb the demands of this unique race. I was also able to stay healthy and had only a few minor injuries, none of which side lined me for more than a few days.

The 2009 Dipsea was a smashing success. My new training approach allowed me to cut almost 7 minutes off my time from last year, moving down almost 200 places from 403 in ‘08 to 217. I was no longer just making the cut being closer to the front then ever before. I was thrilled with my success and have since started thinking I can do even better next year. I must also give credit to the cooler temperatures and a more relaxed taper during the preceding week allowed me to be at the starting line feeling much more rested.

I have built a huge endurance base over the years and can slog up hills for hours but had never focused much on increasing my speed both uphill and on the flats. My training had been more about training my body how to hold the speed that I already had for the duration of the race. This new focus on shorter more intense intervals made a big difference in my running economy and tolerance running in the red zone. I feel like I have only just started to scratch the surface on how to effectively use intervals to improve my times even more. I can look at my weaknesses this year and see a direct correlation to how I trained and where I need to improve based on my race performance. Almost all my intervals were done on a medium grade slope similar to the Hogsback. The sections where I faltered were the Stairs, Dynamite and Cardiac, the step inclines which I didn’t focus my training on. These steeper sections must be addressed next year if I want to continue to improve and need to be an integral part of my new training plan.

As my clock continues it’s inevitable progress forward, I have learned that it really doesn’t have to limit my physical capabilities. Mostly because I feel that I am still so far away from my true potential. However, I know that to reach that ultimate goal of nearing the peak of my abilities I will need to continue to train smarter, and this does not mean just more intensity. I know that recovery plays a vital role and that improvement occurs when I can really put in those 100% efforts. Intensity and rest must be in balance. Injury and illness can come by not respecting father time and listening to those little signs that can be masked by obsessing about exercising and pushing hard every time I head out the door.

A Bloody Surprise

I have been really pumped up since the Stinson 25K and continually find myself dreaming about future runs. I spent the first week after the race taking it easy with a few bike rides and easy runs. I have been following the general recovery method called the reverse taper, gradually increasing my duration and intensity. By the following Sunday I was feeling well rested and decided to do a fairly hilly run from my house. As the run progressed I decided to extend it to an hour and a half as well as push up my intensity up the hills for some LT intervals. I have a large assortment of hills to run near my house and enjoy the variation of the short and steep along with the long and gradual.



After I got home I paid a visit to the restroom and to my horror was peeing a darkish red/brown liquid. This was quite a shock having never seen anything like it before. I went to the computer and started searching the Internet and found a number of articles explaining this occurrence. Besides all the terrible sounding disease related explanations I saw that among runners it was not all that uncommon. Apparently an empty bladder can be irritated while running enough to cause the bleeding. Later that day everything was all clear again and continued to be so throughout the week.



The next Sunday, 11/18, I wanted to get back on schedule with my long runs keeping in my my goal of doing a 30K trail run in late December. I had a good block of free time because the kids were with their Umi so instead of running from my house I decided to head over to Phoenix Lake. I hadn't run there in a while and love the trails and variation a lot. My run was going so well I kept adding bits of extra distance along the way. The route I took was left of Phoenix Lake to the Tucker trail, then up to Eldridge. From there down towards Bon Tempe via Pilot Knob. At the parking lot between Bon Tempe and Lagunitas I filled my water, ate a power bar and then decided to run around Bon Tempe instead of taking the shorter route over to Shaver. I then took the Yolanda trail back to Phoenix. When I came to the fire road at Phoenix I was still feeling great and almost turned right for a detour around the lake. I opted not to go and instead headed back to my car. My time was 2:20 for 13.5 miles with a total elevation gain of 1700 ft.



I was pretty tired by the end but felt good that my leg strength and endurance were continuing to improve. Back at home, back in the bathroom, there it was again, that nasty looking dark liquid again. I was shocked again and this time decided to call the Dr. I made an appointment for the next day and went through the normal question/answer session and was instructed to go down to the lab to leave a sample. A few days later I received a call back from the Dr. who confirmed that there was blood in my urine. And now I have an appointment for a CT scan.

Very strange. It always goes away, at least visually very quickly. I did another long run this past weekend and sure enough, back again. Why is my body spitting out blood after every long run. It hasn't happened on any run less than two hours. Now that I am used to seeing it it doesn't bother me as much. As long as the scan comes out fine and something else isn't going one I am thinking I can live with a little blood like this. Especially if it is just an empty bladder being irritated which I read may be the issue. Hopefully it too will toughen up over time with a continual training overload.

Stinson Beack 25K

Heart Rate/Elevation Profile

I was actually a bit concerned listening to the weather report driving home from work Friday which said no morning fog and temperatures way above normal for the Bay Area. In fact it turned out to be a summer day in the fall.

Envirosports hosts a fun and casual event that enabled me to start feeling very relaxed. I followed my plan to take it easy for the first few minutes to warm-up because I opted not to do any warm-up running before the event. After the race director gave us our pre-race instructions and we sang God Bless America he had us head down onto the beach for the start. As I stood at the edge of the concrete just before the start of the sand I know I was thinking what everybody else had on their mind. Does he really want us all to start running on the sand? Are my shoes going to fill up with sand before I even start? We all seemed hesitant to head out there and would imagine thinking the same thing. What can I say? Everyone obliged his request and off we went starting at some random line which looked like a tire track which was named the officially certified starting line. I have to admit after we began I felt like I was tiptoeing across that sand.

Sticking to my plan I hit the course, all trail and all up for the first three miles at a comfortable pace, settling into a good rhythm. My legs felt strong so I had to hold back a bit to keep my heart rate below 80%. I know that I am comfortable below 80% for long periods of time at this heart rate and knew I should try to keep it there for the three mile climb up to Pantoll and the first aid station. I was carrying a 20 oz water bottle with the addition of an Elixir electrolyte tablet. At the aid station I refilled my bottle and added another tablet. There was nothing to eat at the first station and I didn’t bring anything else along which in hindsight was something I will change for my next race. I am not sure what I was thinking because this meant 11 miles, over 3500 feet of elevation gain, with no extra calories. In fact, I think that was my only week point in preparing for this race. More experience and miles will make me stronger over this distance but I think for a first race at this distance I came in with a great base level of fitness.

After the first aid station I was ready for the down hill to Muir Woods. I think I had a smile on my face the whole 4 miles. I had never been on the Ben Johnson trail before and was comfortably cruising along until I caught up with a small group who had left me behind near the top of the first climb. I decided to stick with them although my legs really wanted to keep going at a faster pace. I am glad I did cool it down because that party ended after we hit the bottom and started to climb again. It was a bit of a rude awakening adjusting to climbing pace again and my legs didn’t feel as strong any more. I also started to feel a hotspot on the bottom of my foot and began to think it was caused by a load of sand in my shoe. I was a little frustrated for a moment thinking that it might be sand so I decided to stop and take a look. After removing my shoe I discovered it was completely empty so I guess I couldn’t blame the beach start any more.

I was able to get into a good rhythm again and soon caught another small group. I stuck with them as we merged onto the Troop 80 trail and actually got my heart rate down to a comfortable 75% for a while. I got a little too comfortably and actually a bit antsy. We started the final climb back up to Pantoll and I used that slowdown as a launching pad, taking off. Well that didn’t last too long. It was quite a rookie move and about 50 yards later my legs just were drained. I was able to stay ahead of the group although it really didn’t make any sense. I realized that I was very low on energy and would need to stop for a bit to eat at the aid station.

I refilled with Gatorade this time and tried to get some food down. My stomach was not going for it though. I ate as much as I could and grabbed some energy bar bits to eat on the run. At that point I had been running a little under 2 hours. I was very happy with that pace so far but I soon realized I would just be surviving to the finish line. I didn’t have any reserves left to surge ahead and try to gain on anyone. I wasn’t really worried about that either. I just love running feeling strong and I was a bit disappointed that I still didn’t have it left inside. Thinking about that feeling, the race and distance occupied my mind for the run back down to Stinson. I have been consumed recently with thoughts of doing an ultra one day. During this race and in the aftermath it has dawned on me that I need to keep that goal in check. I just love running and want it always to be part of who I am. I want to stay fresh and set goals which will allow me to keep in balance all my work and family responsibilities. I want to continue to stay strong on the bike and don’t really have much more time to allocate to anything more than incremental increases in my endurance level. The thoughts that have stayed with me after this race are I love running strong and want to finish strong, charging all the way to the end.

I remember I had these very same thoughts during the final miles of the Marin Double Metric Century I did a few years back which also stayed with me in the days afterwards. When I sign-up for an event I usually go in with the confidence, experience, and training to know that I can finish and can hang with the stronger side of the crowd. The last few miles of this Double were excruciating. I couldn’t keep a respectable pace going at all and finished less than satisfied. I knew in the back of my head that I hadn’t put in enough training and promised myself I would be better prepared the next time. I need to stick with my gut

I had pretty much nailed this 25k. I knew I had room to improve but I was still having a lot of fun bounding down the Matt Davis trail. With about a mile to go I had my energy back, my thoughts were wondering and then all of a sudden I tripped. Not sure if it was a root or rock but I stumbled hard but was able to stay on my feet. As I screeched to a stop, the force that I used in my legs for braking triggered massive cramping all the way up and down both of my legs. At that point I couldn’t move my legs at all. After a minute of massaging and stretching I started back up again. Very gingerly with all my enthusiasm gone, continuing down the trail, while needing to stop every couple of minutes to relieve the cramping. I was passed by two other runners and then finally hit the bottom of the trail and then the road to the finish line.

Besides that one setback and then plan to bring along more calories next time the race was fantastic. I had thought going into the race that if I my ideal run would take me to the finish in 2:35. So the fact that I did it in 2:37:48 was great. I know that my training plan worked well and that I just need more experience racing a fueling at these longer distances. I am already looking forward to the next one.

Distance 25K
Time: 02:37:29.0
Zone Averages: Max HR 189; Max during 25K race 174.

91% + : 2:30 min

85-90%: 49:50 min

75-84%: 1:28:45 min

74 & below: 16:30 min

The Taper

After my long at China Camp I came to realize a few days later that it might have been just a bit too intense. I felt very good and felt inspired to keep a strong pace but my legs just felt sluggish for the next three days. I had an easy mountain bike ride on Monday followed by a bike commute on Tuesday. So it was not until Wednesday that I went for my first run. I felt a bit sluggish during the warm-up but at around 30 minutes the brakes just came on. I am not sure what happened but my energy level dropped so low that all I could do was walk. I tried to pick it up again about 5 minutes later but could only last another couple minutes before I had to stop again. I was able to finish out the run by the end but it was rather depressing. I decided to ride again on Thursday and then run on Friday. After that weird Wednesday run I was able to get my pacing and energy back again and can only speculate on what happened. It was probably that I had a bad nights sleep combined with fatigue from my long run.

I don’t really enjoy tapering but I decided to stick to my plan. I still recall how my Dipsea taper went awry back in June. Three weeks before the race I came down with a really bad cold. It lasted up until the week before. I was forced to miss all my planned workouts and on Sunday, 7 days before the race, decided to run the course from Mill Valley to the top of Cardiac and then back. My legs for fresh and I took off. It didn’t help that there were a lot of others out on the course as well. I met another guy who was also out preparing for the race and we ran harder than I would have on my own back from Cardiac to Muir Woods. Overall that run was great but my legs just didn’t have that freshness that I was hoping to feel. I improved my time by 2 minutes but I decided that the next race prep will be different.

Back to the plan for my 25K; I wanted to get in three runs, one Saturday and two more the next week. A light run Monday and then my last run on Wednesday. Saturday went just right. I ran a total of 55 minutes with about 20 minutes uphill at Tempo pace. Monday was a light but hilly 45 minutes and then another hilly 35 minute run Wednesday. I commuted on my bike Tuesday and Thursday. That route is 10.5 miles each way which takes me between 35 and 40 minutes. I think I am ready to go.

China Camp Long Run 10/21

My energy level and leg strength felt very good on my long run at China camp today. I started at the far east end of the park and ran Shoreline trail to Bayview to the west side, then back on Shoreline to the car. I started in the late afternoon but think that I always prefer to run earlier in the day because that is when my energy level is the highest. I couldn't complain at all because the weather today just kept getting better and better. No clouds or wind. Today would have also been a perfect day for a road ride.

Run stats: Run start 4:00 pm, run time 1:49, avg hr 141(75%), max hr 161, dist 12.3, pace avg 8:38, ascent 1000 ft, Kcal 1565, H2O consumed; 40 oz with 2 Elixr tablets, plus an additional 8 oz straight.

I am still a bit concerned about the knee pain I experience sometimes. The pain seems to surround the front of my knee but a little more bothersome below the kneecap. It usually starts to make its presence known after a lot of steep uphill running. It is possible that I have been pushing the distance and hills too quickly in preparation for this race. Very hard to hold back and because I just love running hills.

Today was a good day to stay on a trail with some climbing but nothing too steep because I wanted to rest my knees but do some significant distance. The trails at China camp are super fun and I felt myself surging though a number of sections. I tried to keep my hr in check and conserve the energy that I had during the first hour. It is hard to resist when all systems just want to go. Flying along a trail, keeping up a quick turnover, fearlessly jumping over technical obstacles is pure joy.

At the halfway point I stopped at the park entrance to fill my bottle. As soon as I took off again that knee pain flared up. I was a bit annoyed because I hadn't noticed anything yet. Luckily it went away after about 5 minutes and I never felt it again. The only other note I want to record is that I lost a bit of my momentum around the 1:35 mark. I actually stopped running and took a 30 second break before I started out at a reduced shuffle pace. I did get back into it but not with the same bounce. Next time I will try to had a little carbs into my plan. I think the electrolytes are great but still I still need some more work to dial in the right fuel plan, especially when running more than 10 miles.

Training for my first 25K trail race

I finally decided to setup a blog. I have been reading other blogs for a while now and figured that it might be fun to join trend. Do I really having anything important to say. Does it really matter. I am really thinking this might be a good way to keep a diary of my training and maybe a good way to push harder to reach my goals. My current goal which is quickly approaching is the Envirosport Stinson Beach 25K .

I ran an Envirosports event several years ago at China camp. It was a 20k although at the time it was billed as a half marathon. Since then I have run the Dipsea for the last two years. I just barely qualified for the Invitational group my first year and then trained super hard to improve my time by just a little more than two minutes. After having just turned 40, I think it dawned on me that I really don't want to put all my effort into just one race since improving my time at this point is honestly really not that much fun. Those type of workouts are really hard and for some reason I never look forward to them.

I really do enjoy pushing myself though, but I find the pressure of trying to get faster in a planned workout to be too overwhelming. I don't enjoy the anticipation of a speed work or intervals or hill repeats. But once I am out running, if my legs and head feel good, I really love going fast, or charging up a hill. I need that initial warm up and then the time to asses the state of my body and mind before I am ready to push it. When my all systems say go, that is when I am can say yes to a hard workout. For me it has to be spontaneous.

I have discovered that my true passion for running, like it is for biking, is to be able to just go, and go and go. I don't like to be intimidated by the terrain, by the size of a hill or length of the distance. I love the freedom I have achieved so far with my fitness which has given me the ability to explore. I never need to kick myself to get out the door. It is actually harder for me to skip a day than anything else. It is also hard for me sometimes to decide whether to run or to bike. I love to use workouts to explore a new route and that always keeps everything fresh. Somethimes I like to run a familiar route because I know the challeges but other times I like to just get out and then hit those route decisions one intersection at a time.

My plan today is to head back to China Camp to do a long run. I know the trails well so it won't much in the way of exploration but it should feel fresh. I haven't run there since sometime last winter and most of my familiarity with the trails is from Mtn biking. It's a spectacular fall day, after a week of rain and clouds the sky today is solid blue and the air clean and crisp. My objective today is to run for about two hours and to keep up a strong pace. For the up hills, here they are not very steep, I hope to keep my heart rate in the 75 to 80 % range. If my legs feel particularly strong maybe a little higher.