Thursday, February 2, 2012
Old Man Running!: Runner In Training
Old Man Running!: Runner In Training: Well the new year is here and like so many other runners I've been looking up the qualifying runs for WS(Western State) and then looking to ...
Runner In Training
Well the new year is here and like so many other runners I've been looking up the qualifying runs for WS(Western State) and then looking to see which runs I think I could use, to Qualify for WS 2013. Of course, the run (Last chance 50 in Sac. Ca) which I used to qualify last year is no longer on the list. I hear the list is going to get shorter as the field of hopefuls continues to grow.
I was reading a fellow runners blog http://m in which Sarah Lavender was talking about how some of the more popular runs were filling-up faster than ever, due to all the new runners. I have to admit that I, too, am one of the newer runners on the scene. Although it was the Ultratrail runners Magazine that got me into running ultras. Sarah mentioned a women who had qualified for WS five years in a row and was never pick in the lottery, and she did not make it into the Miwok 100k. I thought that really sucks, but Dam she qualified five years in a row! I'm not sure I can qualify again this year....
My training is in full swing. After running 72.1 miles in my first 24 hour run, on New Years eve, I took a week off. Then I fasted/cleansed for 10 day. Only lemon juice, maple syrup and pepper in an 8oz glass of water , every hour, for ten days, lost 15lbs. Anyway I began my diet a new, all organic home cooked meals, and I also began my training, to my first 100 miler, in earnest. I'm running 5 days a week and x-training twice a week. I'm taking two days a week off, NO anything, well unless I have a race.
Oh big news! My girl Amy Rogers, will be running her first solo trail run on the 11th of Feb. at the Golden Gate 13 mile run. By solo we mean she's running without me. My first run is going to be Canyon Meadows 50k March 17th and then I will be trying to PR at the Oakland Marathon on the 25th of March. OH! I have been talking to Carilyn Johnson http://carilynjohnson.com/ about pacing her at WS. I'm not sure if I'm up to her level. I was thinking I could pace her but after I checked out her history, I'm thinking she may run faster after 64 miles then I can fresh....LOL We'll see. Last thing I would want to do is slow her down, at any rate I'm hoping to be a part of WS in some small way.
Okay then, I guess it's time to go and get my run in for the day and then cook dinner for me and my son. I hope you all have a great season and I hope to see some of you out on the trails.
P.S. I should be writing a lot more in the coming months. So Please, pass me on to your friends and subscribe to my blog. Peace
I was reading a fellow runners blog http://
My training is in full swing. After running 72.1 miles in my first 24 hour run, on New Years eve, I took a week off. Then I fasted/cleansed for 10 day. Only lemon juice, maple syrup and pepper in an 8oz glass of water , every hour, for ten days, lost 15lbs. Anyway I began my diet a new, all organic home cooked meals, and I also began my training, to my first 100 miler, in earnest. I'm running 5 days a week and x-training twice a week. I'm taking two days a week off, NO anything, well unless I have a race.
Oh big news! My girl Amy Rogers, will be running her first solo trail run on the 11th of Feb. at the Golden Gate 13 mile run. By solo we mean she's running without me. My first run is going to be Canyon Meadows 50k March 17th and then I will be trying to PR at the Oakland Marathon on the 25th of March. OH! I have been talking to Carilyn Johnson http://carilynjohnson.com/ about pacing her at WS. I'm not sure if I'm up to her level. I was thinking I could pace her but after I checked out her history, I'm thinking she may run faster after 64 miles then I can fresh....LOL We'll see. Last thing I would want to do is slow her down, at any rate I'm hoping to be a part of WS in some small way.
Okay then, I guess it's time to go and get my run in for the day and then cook dinner for me and my son. I hope you all have a great season and I hope to see some of you out on the trails.
P.S. I should be writing a lot more in the coming months. So Please, pass me on to your friends and subscribe to my blog. Peace
Monday, January 2, 2012
2011/12 New Years Eve 24 Hour End of The Year Run.
HAPPY NEW YEARS!
Well, what a year it has been, or rather, I should say, what a year and a half. That would be the year and a half since I started running. So how about a quick look back.
I managed to run five marathons, a dozen shorter trail runs, as well as two 50k trail runs. I also finished three 50 mile runs, got my first DNF during a 50 mile run, at mile 40, and qualified for Western State! To top it all off I decided to run a 24 hour run New Years Eve Run, in San Fransisco.
That's where I started, at the beginning of this blog, with a New Years Eve Run. I have very mixed feeling about my first attempt at running for 24 hours. First off, I failed. I quit, I stopped. I got beat. At 5am I laid down and died. Okay wait a minute.. This is not how it sounds. I am always a success. If you, somehow, find yourself at the starting line, make no mistake you are a winner. That said, I went into this 24 hour run with some trepidation. I knew it was going to be hard. I knew it was going to be farther and longer than I had ever run. I went into this run thinking it would be good practice for the 100 mile races I want to run in 2012. I knew I wasn't properly trained and that a jump from 50 miles to 100 miles was a big jump. Still I went into it thinking I could get real close. I had my splits all figured out and I was fairly confident that I could reach my goal.
You could not ask for a better day to run 24 hours in San Fransisco, in December. Temp's were in the 50's low 60's, just a slight breeze blowing in off shore and we had the gang from Coastal trail runs to make sure everything was running smoothly. My sweety, Amy, was there to crew for me. (A BIG THANKS Amy) {A little side note. If you have a friend willing to crew for you during a 24 hour run, you had better count your blessing, and a real nice sea food dinner after, doesn't hurt either.} We set-up our tent and got everything ready for a long day and night of running.
Well, what a year it has been, or rather, I should say, what a year and a half. That would be the year and a half since I started running. So how about a quick look back.
I managed to run five marathons, a dozen shorter trail runs, as well as two 50k trail runs. I also finished three 50 mile runs, got my first DNF during a 50 mile run, at mile 40, and qualified for Western State! To top it all off I decided to run a 24 hour run New Years Eve Run, in San Fransisco.
That's where I started, at the beginning of this blog, with a New Years Eve Run. I have very mixed feeling about my first attempt at running for 24 hours. First off, I failed. I quit, I stopped. I got beat. At 5am I laid down and died. Okay wait a minute.. This is not how it sounds. I am always a success. If you, somehow, find yourself at the starting line, make no mistake you are a winner. That said, I went into this 24 hour run with some trepidation. I knew it was going to be hard. I knew it was going to be farther and longer than I had ever run. I went into this run thinking it would be good practice for the 100 mile races I want to run in 2012. I knew I wasn't properly trained and that a jump from 50 miles to 100 miles was a big jump. Still I went into it thinking I could get real close. I had my splits all figured out and I was fairly confident that I could reach my goal.
 |
| Winter in SF |
You could not ask for a better day to run 24 hours in San Fransisco, in December. Temp's were in the 50's low 60's, just a slight breeze blowing in off shore and we had the gang from Coastal trail runs to make sure everything was running smoothly. My sweety, Amy, was there to crew for me. (A BIG THANKS Amy) {A little side note. If you have a friend willing to crew for you during a 24 hour run, you had better count your blessing, and a real nice sea food dinner after, doesn't hurt either.} We set-up our tent and got everything ready for a long day and night of running.
 |
| Home for the day. |
This day would have three start times. There was a 24 hour group starting at 9am, a 12 hour group starting at 12 noon, and a 6 hour group starting at 6pm. Our race started right on time, 9am, and we had around 48 runners or so. I was very surprised how many people came from out of state to run this race, I met runners from Seattle, Iowa, Chicago and Canada. What's wrong with these folks? I thought it was a little crazy to just run 24 hours, but to travel hundreds of miles to do it????
 |
| Waiting for the start. Note: the woman in purple with black gloves, she ran 126 miles. |
My plan for the day was to run the first 50 miles at a 12:45 minute pace, or about ten hours. Then I would run the next 20 miles at about a 15 min pace, and then finish off the last 30 miles at 18 min miles.
I started out great, I was feeling strong the course was easy and there was a great bunch of runners to run with. First thing I noticed was that the aid station was just a mile away and I guess it was just too easy to stop and get a drink of coffee or whatever, and next thing I know I'm needing to pee, a lot. Then I had to take a "sit down" and before I knew it I had fallen off pace. That lead to the " It's okay", which lead to the " You didn't really think you were going to run a 100 miles", which lead to the inevitable slow mental death. When 10 hours came and went and I didn't have my 50 miles, I tried to tell myself it was okay, but in the back of my mind I knew it wasn't. I was slowly beating myself.
I hate to make sound like it was a terrible day, it really wasn't. There is the runner in me, and then there is the guy that knows better. The guy that knows better took time to enjoy the day. I was going to run into the New Year and that made everything okay. I was with my Honey, and she was running laps with me now and then. The weather was just beautiful and it was a great day to be alive.
The midnight hour was soon upon us and Amy and I ran a lap, into the New Year together. As the two of us ran down the coast line of Crissy Field, the City was lit-up with fire works, the lights of the Golden Gate Bridge were behinds us and we were running into the New Year! My God! what a way to bring in the New Year. Oh and don't forget the New Years Eve Kiss......
The midnight hour brought in the New Year, but it was the end of the run for the 12 hour and 6 hour runners.That meant that things got real quite. The crowds of the day and two thirds of the runners were now gone. I had started to walk down wind and run up wind. It was getting colder and I did want to spend anymore time on the breezy side of the run then I had to. Still it was only and hour or two before I was power walking the whole course. I was down to three laps an hour and I had started to get blisters on both feet. I tried to change shoes and socks, and I had thought that my older running shoes would work but I guess they were too far gone, my feet went from bad to worst. It was around 5am when I finally gave in. I laid down and that was it. I was beat. Mentally and physically. At 7am we pulled up stakes, packed and called it a day. I had run 72.1 miles.
Epilogue:
Today is the day after. I've had time to think about the last 24 hours and about my run. And of course I would do things a little different. One thing I did not do was ask for help. It's so easy to ask for water or something to eat, but to ask for moral support is just as important. I never told anyone I was losing the mental battle. I never asked for help. I should have woke-up my friend and told her how low I was. I could have asked an aid worker to kick my ass and help me get back on track but I didn't. I will next time.
I also learned a lot about myself. I can run 72.1 miles! How many people can say that? I learned that with a little more training I will run a 100miles. I learned that old running shoes have no place in a race. I learned that even though I quit, I'm not a quitter.
I know I've been a little hard on myself, maybe that's what happens when you start running ultras. But I also know that there are many more miles out there with my name on them and I intend to run them all!
Amy and I hope you all have a great New Year and we're sure we'll see some of you out on the trails real soon.
I started out great, I was feeling strong the course was easy and there was a great bunch of runners to run with. First thing I noticed was that the aid station was just a mile away and I guess it was just too easy to stop and get a drink of coffee or whatever, and next thing I know I'm needing to pee, a lot. Then I had to take a "sit down" and before I knew it I had fallen off pace. That lead to the " It's okay", which lead to the " You didn't really think you were going to run a 100 miles", which lead to the inevitable slow mental death. When 10 hours came and went and I didn't have my 50 miles, I tried to tell myself it was okay, but in the back of my mind I knew it wasn't. I was slowly beating myself.
 |
| Still looking good and knocking down some miles |
I hate to make sound like it was a terrible day, it really wasn't. There is the runner in me, and then there is the guy that knows better. The guy that knows better took time to enjoy the day. I was going to run into the New Year and that made everything okay. I was with my Honey, and she was running laps with me now and then. The weather was just beautiful and it was a great day to be alive.
The midnight hour was soon upon us and Amy and I ran a lap, into the New Year together. As the two of us ran down the coast line of Crissy Field, the City was lit-up with fire works, the lights of the Golden Gate Bridge were behinds us and we were running into the New Year! My God! what a way to bring in the New Year. Oh and don't forget the New Years Eve Kiss......
 |
| Golden Gate at midnight |
were now gone. I had started to walk down wind and run up wind. It was getting colder and I did want to spend anymore time on the breezy side of the run then I had to. Still it was only and hour or two before I was power walking the whole course. I was down to three laps an hour and I had started to get blisters on both feet. I tried to change shoes and socks, and I had thought that my older running shoes would work but I guess they were too far gone, my feet went from bad to worst. It was around 5am when I finally gave in. I laid down and that was it. I was beat. Mentally and physically. At 7am we pulled up stakes, packed and called it a day. I had run 72.1 miles.Epilogue:
Today is the day after. I've had time to think about the last 24 hours and about my run. And of course I would do things a little different. One thing I did not do was ask for help. It's so easy to ask for water or something to eat, but to ask for moral support is just as important. I never told anyone I was losing the mental battle. I never asked for help. I should have woke-up my friend and told her how low I was. I could have asked an aid worker to kick my ass and help me get back on track but I didn't. I will next time.
I also learned a lot about myself. I can run 72.1 miles! How many people can say that? I learned that with a little more training I will run a 100miles. I learned that old running shoes have no place in a race. I learned that even though I quit, I'm not a quitter.
I know I've been a little hard on myself, maybe that's what happens when you start running ultras. But I also know that there are many more miles out there with my name on them and I intend to run them all!
Monday, October 10, 2011
old man running!: Dick Collins fire trail 50 mile race 2011
old man running!: Dick Collins fire trail 50 mile race 2011: So here we are. My first Blog. Okay well let me just tell you a little about myself. I'm a 54 year old massage therapist raising a 15 year...
Dick Collins fire trail 50 mile race 2011
So here we are. My first Blog.
Okay well let me just tell you a little about myself. I'm a 54 year old massage therapist raising a 15 year old son. I work from home and have been involved in the world of holistic health for over 20 years. I quit drinking over 23 years ago, I quit smoking cigarettes 10 years ago, and I have tried to live a healthy life all this time.However, one day I saw a photo taken of me without my shirt on. I was shocked when I saw myself. I could not believe what had happened. How did I get so out of shape?
Well I had to do something, and I had to do something right away. First thing I did was to do a "cleanse". And yes I did the "Master cleanse". I did it for 10 days followed by 5 days of reintroducing real food back into my diet, and not just the same old crap that I had been eating. I lost 13 pounds and started eating healthy organic food, if I ate meat I ate grass fed beef, and I stopped eating anything with High Fructose corn syrup.
So what does all this have to do with running, much less running the Dick Collins fire trail 50 mile race? Everything. I started eating right and started feeling better, which in turn gave me the energy to run the five blocks to the coffee shop down the street. I was so tired when I got there, and as I walked home, I thought what if tomorrow I run to the coffee shop and then run down the six or so blocks to the beach, and then I could walk home from there. And that's just how it happened. Blocks turned into miles which turned into 5 miles, which got me thinking maybe I could run 10 miles. Once I ran 10 miles the old bucket list came out. You know the list with the, I'd like to run a marathon some day,- right! Like that was ever going to happen. But I ran the 10 miles and I found a little voice inside that said " What do you think Paul? You got what it takes?". I started all this last year, just before my 53 birthday which is in June. In August, 2010 I ran my first Marathon up in Santa Rosa. Running a marathon changes you forever, but I knew that if I didn't have a goal, an up coming race, that I might just end-up sitting on the couch watching TV or something. I'm weak like that. I have to trick myself into doing things I don't like. So I ran the Fresno marathon, followed by the Oakland marathon and..... What! Did I say I hate running. You heard me. I never liked running. Running hurts. It takes a lot of time and I was never very good at it. So I trick myself into running by registering for the next race. If I pay for it I have to train for it.
That's how I found trail running. I needed a run and the only thing I could find was a trail run. I had never run a trail run so I said "Okay I'll try a 13 mile trail run". OMG as they say. I was so taken by the experience that I was hooked. I loved it. I had never done anything so hard, so thrilling. I felt like I was part of - part of the whole. The whole one with the cosmos thing. That one trail run was all it took. I was hooked and there was no turning back. One trail run turned into a 30k which turned into a 50k, (The Ohlone wilderness 50k trail run) fallowed by my second 50k. It wasn't long before the 50 mile run had to be tackled. Marin Headland 50 miler was my first. Finished in 13 hrs 12 sec.
If you run a 50 mile trail run, you are sure to start thinking about a 100 mile run. You starting thing about western state, about qualifying. That means running 50 miles in under 11 hours, and that brought me to Sierra Nevada 50 mile endurance run. I thought I might be able to run this race in under 11 hours. It had less climb then my last race and most of it looked sort of flat, but there was the heat to deal with. And it kicked my butt. I was pulled out of the race at mile 40, when I failed to make the 5 o'clock cut off. I don't know how it happened, but did I learned a very important lesson. That is, I have to worry about the cut off times then I can worry about finishing under 11 hours.
Which is how we got here at the Dick Collins Fire Trails 50 mile race. I had to finish a 50 mile run before the cut off time of 13 hours. I did. 12:27:43
Okay well let me just tell you a little about myself. I'm a 54 year old massage therapist raising a 15 year old son. I work from home and have been involved in the world of holistic health for over 20 years. I quit drinking over 23 years ago, I quit smoking cigarettes 10 years ago, and I have tried to live a healthy life all this time.However, one day I saw a photo taken of me without my shirt on. I was shocked when I saw myself. I could not believe what had happened. How did I get so out of shape?
Well I had to do something, and I had to do something right away. First thing I did was to do a "cleanse". And yes I did the "Master cleanse". I did it for 10 days followed by 5 days of reintroducing real food back into my diet, and not just the same old crap that I had been eating. I lost 13 pounds and started eating healthy organic food, if I ate meat I ate grass fed beef, and I stopped eating anything with High Fructose corn syrup.
So what does all this have to do with running, much less running the Dick Collins fire trail 50 mile race? Everything. I started eating right and started feeling better, which in turn gave me the energy to run the five blocks to the coffee shop down the street. I was so tired when I got there, and as I walked home, I thought what if tomorrow I run to the coffee shop and then run down the six or so blocks to the beach, and then I could walk home from there. And that's just how it happened. Blocks turned into miles which turned into 5 miles, which got me thinking maybe I could run 10 miles. Once I ran 10 miles the old bucket list came out. You know the list with the, I'd like to run a marathon some day,- right! Like that was ever going to happen. But I ran the 10 miles and I found a little voice inside that said " What do you think Paul? You got what it takes?". I started all this last year, just before my 53 birthday which is in June. In August, 2010 I ran my first Marathon up in Santa Rosa. Running a marathon changes you forever, but I knew that if I didn't have a goal, an up coming race, that I might just end-up sitting on the couch watching TV or something. I'm weak like that. I have to trick myself into doing things I don't like. So I ran the Fresno marathon, followed by the Oakland marathon and..... What! Did I say I hate running. You heard me. I never liked running. Running hurts. It takes a lot of time and I was never very good at it. So I trick myself into running by registering for the next race. If I pay for it I have to train for it.
That's how I found trail running. I needed a run and the only thing I could find was a trail run. I had never run a trail run so I said "Okay I'll try a 13 mile trail run". OMG as they say. I was so taken by the experience that I was hooked. I loved it. I had never done anything so hard, so thrilling. I felt like I was part of - part of the whole. The whole one with the cosmos thing. That one trail run was all it took. I was hooked and there was no turning back. One trail run turned into a 30k which turned into a 50k, (The Ohlone wilderness 50k trail run) fallowed by my second 50k. It wasn't long before the 50 mile run had to be tackled. Marin Headland 50 miler was my first. Finished in 13 hrs 12 sec.
If you run a 50 mile trail run, you are sure to start thinking about a 100 mile run. You starting thing about western state, about qualifying. That means running 50 miles in under 11 hours, and that brought me to Sierra Nevada 50 mile endurance run. I thought I might be able to run this race in under 11 hours. It had less climb then my last race and most of it looked sort of flat, but there was the heat to deal with. And it kicked my butt. I was pulled out of the race at mile 40, when I failed to make the 5 o'clock cut off. I don't know how it happened, but did I learned a very important lesson. That is, I have to worry about the cut off times then I can worry about finishing under 11 hours.
Which is how we got here at the Dick Collins Fire Trails 50 mile race. I had to finish a 50 mile run before the cut off time of 13 hours. I did. 12:27:43
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