Off Topic . . .

Difficult Choice

Andy and I decided not to run the Santa Cruz Half Marathon next weekend. Though we've been putting in quite a few miles, we've run only one 10 mile run a couple of weeks ago, and nothing of any distance since. Lack of preparation alone would probably not have stopped us, but in addition, the shin splint in my left leg has been threatening for the past week, and Andy's ankles have been acting up as well. Yesterday, on a 6 mile run through the park to the beach, the pain in my shin grew from a dull ache to a sharper nagging. The pain eventually went away, but it eased the decision not to run the half next week. While we had both looked forward to the race, we had to admit that at this point, we would be lucky to finish, and that's not the kind of running I like to do. I'm going to continue to run easy this week, then work toward building a more consistent base of medium long runs (10-12 mile distances). There are still something like 13 weeks until the marathon -- plenty of time.

Point Lobos Run

It was fabulous to get away for a few days this week. We took the coast down, made our way along Highway 1, then down through Monterey and Pacific Grove (at left) to Carmel, where we had booked a rustic little cabin just outside of town. The stretch of coast between Monterey and Carmel was unbelievably gorgeous, despite the fact that we skipped the famed 17 Mile Drive (through Pebble Beach) and the $9 entry fee that went with it.

We arrived late in the afternoon, checked in, then drove into Carmel and walked down to the beach. Not wanting to spend $27 on spaghetti, we later wandered around until we found a the Hog's Breath Inn - a pub formerly owned by Clint Easwood - which offered outdoor seating clustered around numerous fireplaces.

In the morning, we put on our running gear (shorts!) and headed out to Point Lobos. The park is small, and many of the trails dead end at the edge of stunning cliffs and beaches, but we managed to cobble together about an hour of good running, mostly on dirt trails. Here are a few photos from the run. More to come.

Faster and Faster

Our Wednesday night run was the fastest 5 mile training run ever at an average 9:39. We set out to complete our usual 5 mile route in 45 minutes, but that proved to be a little too ambitious. Andy was in good form (and it's more comfortable for him to run faster), but for me it was sometimes difficult to keep up that speed. That, and I ran most of the run with a blister developing on the arch of my left foot, and a side stitch in my left side. I was able to keep it at bay with a routine of exaggerated breathing, but as soon as I relaxed, it started up again.

In celebration of Spring Break, we're taking off a few days from work, renting a car (don't really need one in the city), and heading down the California coast to the Carmel/Big Sur area this weekend. It is a beautiful, and popular, stretch of coast and small towns, which will be gearing up for the Big Sur Marathon in a couple of weeks. There are some secluded (but alas, well known) hot springs a 10 mile hike in from the highway south of Big Sur, and we're thinking about running the trail in, spending a few hours, then hiking back out again before nightfall. Don't know if it's a realistic plan - the trail is hilly and demanding, so we'll have to think it over carefully. Once we've run 10 miles in without much food or any camping gear, we'll pretty much have to hike the 3 hours out whether we "feel like it" or not . . .

Not sure what kind of Internet access we'll have, so I may not post again until Tuesday. But I'll be taking a couple of good runs - and a lot of pictures.

Happy running this weekend.

Sunday 10 Miler

This was my first 10 miles, a distance I've anticipated since I started running. It's a bit arbitrary, but it has stood out on the horizon as a sort of marker to me, a defining distance. 10 miles feels, finally, respectable. At the same time, the added miles aren't as dramatic as they once were - the mental and physical demands of 10 miles over 9 are less than those of, say, 5 miles over 4, and in ways today's run was downright easy. It was also difficult in places, and painful. Mostly, I think because we hadn't eaten enough earlier and because it's time to start thinking about refueling during our long runs.

The day dawned overcast and windy and we allowed ourselves to sleep in until after 9:30 am. Then I picked up coffee and scones and we wrapped ourselves in blankets and wrote for the rest of the morning. We managed to put off the run until nearly 3:30 pm, but finally forced ourselves out into the weather, knowing we would be thankful for it around mile 6. For the first time, I tried carrying a water bottle with me. Based on a friend's suggestion, I found a sports tank with a pocket on the back, similar to many biking shirts, and I was able to fit a small (about 10 oz) water bottle in the zippered pocket. This worked incredibly well for me - it was easily accessible and snug enough not to bounce much. Next week, we'll experiment with some gels as well.

The first 6 miles went easily at an average 10:30 pace - down through the park to the ocean, then out and back a mile and a half along the Great Highway. After that, we turned inland for the more difficult final 4 miles - the climb back up through the park and home. Here we slipped down to an average 11:15 pace, which was closer to what should have been our goal speed anyway, and worked our way back to the relatively flat final mile. This was the first run in a long time where I've felt completely exhausted afterwards, but I still felt like I could have continued on for 3 miles if necessary. We averaged an 11:00 pace, which was far too fast, but our hard workout days isn't until Wednesday, so we have ample time to recover before then.

This week, I'm hoping to return to full mileage - 2 miles Tuesday morning, 45 minutes at tempo speed Wednesday night, 5 miles at goal pace Friday, and 11 or 12 miles next Sunday. A similar schedule the following week, and bring on the half marathon!