8 mile aqueduct run with Dale and Clay

Dale and I set up a 5:45 am meeting time at 60th and the aqueduct this morning. The plan was 7-8 miles. There was another car up there but I didn't take any notice. Dale showed up soon after, we got our headlamps on and walked out to the asphalt side and someone was walking towards us. It was Clay, so all three of us headed east toward Highland. It was a beautiful morning (see pictures below). The sun started to come up as we made the turn back. Dale and I picked it up for the two middle miles. My splits were 7:10 and 7:30. My right calf started to tighten right at the 5 mile mark and I slowed down and took it easy on the way back.

Total mileage for September was 67 (I only ran 11 days this month), which brings my 2010 mileage to 999!

Good luck to Chuck Fieland this weekend as he attempts a marathon double with the New Hampshire and Maine Marathons on back to back days.

Good luck to Sergio Reyes at the USA men's marathon championships at the Twin Cities Marathon on Sunday.

Side note: I saw that Ed Whitlock (who ran two sub 3 hour marathons over the age of 70) just ran the Toronto Half Marathon in 1:34 at the young age of 79!

Finally, Thirsty Thursdays with Jack Daniels are back on Flotrack. Check out this week's segment.

5 mile morning run

I am ready for a time change! It is till dark at 6 am. Ok, not dark, but the sun is just coming up. I ran my 5 mile route to Joe Walker, two loops, and return. I felt pretty good about it, running a good portion at 7 min pace and a few moments under 7 min pace. Total time for 5 miles was 38 minutes. Today was the first day of a serious build up. Hold me too it would ya!

Tomorrow is another day, and there will be another battle!
--Sebastian Coe (Don't know who he is? Look it up!)

Camping in Ventura

No running this weekend. Unless you count running after my boys. We went camping at McGrath State Beach in Ventura, CA. Here are some pictures of the fun we had.

Karl's "Rock n' Roll" Blog

I ran 4 miles on monday, felt ok but that was all I had time for. Still not getting up early enough, or maybe its getting to bed early enough.

I ran 6 miles on Thursday and added a few short hills but didn't push it. My calf was tight the rest of the day, not painful just tight. It feels fine today.


The Philadelphia Half Marathon last weekend was a disappointment (I guess mostly for Ryan Hall). Ryan did not do well running close to 64 min and placing 14th. Shalane, on the other hand, was 4th racing quite possibly hte best in the world (Defar) so that was good. I think Shalane's time was 4th fastest US all time (I saw the last 2 miles on an internet replay). Dathan ran 4th in the Great North Run which was won by Gebrselassie. The Philadelphia Half is now the "Rock n' Roll" Philadelphia Half. The Chicago Half in August is now the "Rock n' Roll" Chicago Half. The Lewis & Clark Marathon and Half Marathon will be the "Rock n' Roll" St. Louis Marathon next year.

Is Competitor Group taking over the marathon world? They have at least 20 "Rock n' Roll" races now. Will the increase in "Rock n' Roll" races raise the bar for other marathons to improve, or will it just raise the entry fees of all marathons to stay competitive in the growing market? I have never run a "Rock n' Roll" Marathon. I hear they are a well run event. Readers, what is your take on Competitor Group? And is the increase in "Rock n' Roll" races good or bad for the marathon world? Will it be the "Rock n' Roll" Boston Marathon some day?

Weekend Recap

I got up early to meet a friend of mine, Chuck, at the start of his 15 mile run on Saturday. His plan was 15 on Saturday and 20 on Sunday. Why so many weekend miles? Well Chuck has a goal of running a marathon in each of the 50 states, but not just to complete them. His goal is to run a marathon in 50 states all under 4 hours. I can't remember exactly how many states he has run a sub 4 hour marathon in but I think it is at least 10. If he ran 5 every year it would take him another 8 years to complete. He also has streaks going with the LA marathon (20 consecutive years I think) and he has run every Orange County Marathon, and he doesn't plan on breaking these streaks any time soon. So if he ran 5 new states every year plus LA and OC, that is 7 marathons a year! YIKES! Sorry Chuck but you aren't getting any younger! Plus marathons are selling out faster and faster so the planning is getting harder and harder. After some research he found the New Hampshire Marathon and the Maine marathon on consecutive days, October 2 & 3. They are close enough that he could finish one and then drive to the next one and run them on back to back days, Dean Karnazes style. He is making a weeklong trip in New England out of it with his wife. He asked me months ago if I thought this was possible and I said, "of course, as long as you don't run the first one too fast." My advice for him was to run the first one no faster than 3:45 and then run the next day with what ever he had left. Since then he has built up to 70-80 miles per week with 30 of that on the weekends in preparation for back to back marathons. I have built up to an hour at a time now, so I decided to run the first hour of Chuck's run with him. We started at 5:15 am with our headlamps on. My calf was a little tight from Friday before we even started running, but we took it easy and it loosend a little as we ran. After 5 we meet Dale who continued with us. I turned around after another 1.5 to make my run an even 8, and Chuck and Dale continued. Good luck Chuck you will do great. Always good running with you. You make the miles fly by.

Two days in a row for me for a total of 16 miles! I took Sunday off but the calf felt fine.

Another 8 mile aqueduct run (64 min)

The headlines sure have been interesting.

Karl grew with surprising speed!

Karl had reached peak intensity and was not likely to get stronger before making landfall!

but the worst was tonight...

Karl kills 2 in Mexico.
and
Karl caused widespread damage in Veracruz.

I swear it wasn't me.


This morning I drove up to the aqueduct for another level run. I took a risk and ran all the way to the turn around 3.75 miles away. Why was this risky? Well because it is out and back, the farther away I am, the farther I would have to walk back if I had a problem. Well, no problem today. It took a few miles to loosen up but I was able to increase pace every mile until 7, then I backed off for the last mile due to some tightening. I guess 8 miles is now my limit. Last week 6 was my limit so that is a step in the right direction. My splits today were 8:48, 8:24, 8:11, 7:52, 7:39, 7:35, 7:27, 7:35. My last 5 miles were under 8 min pace!

Upgraded to Hurricane Karl

I have been upgraded to a hurricane! Look out! Today I read, “Karl is expected to strengthen steadily and possibly rapidly.” I hope that is true. For me, not for Mexico.

Hurricane Karl forms in the Gulf of Mexico.

I missed a beautiful morning today. Staying up too late. I may go tonight or tomorrow morning.

Check out this new article fro the UVA Center for Endurance Sport blog on foot and ankle biomechanics. It is a very good read.


The Rock n' Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon is loaded with the best in the work for men and women this weekend. It will be worth checking out. Ryan Hall and Shalane Flanagan are running for the U.S.

Tropical Storm Karl

That's right, I am now a tropical storm! It is fun to see your name in the news headlines!

Tropical Storm Karl Goes Ashore on Mexico's Yucatan.


I have been talking a lot about my injury lately. My situaltion could be a lot worse. I found this post from Julia Lucas' blog on how she feel's about being injured. Her stress fracture has completely taken her out of the game for a while. She has a recent post titled "How to heal a stress fracture." She has been published in Running Times.

On August 20th she posted:
"All I want to do is run. I don’t want to go anywhere or do anything or have any fun. I just want to run.

I am chagrin to admit that in my ignorant past I may not have fully appreciated my way of life. I may have even complained. Oh, what a fool I was!

Give me the fatigue, the sore muscles, the the brain fog, the 9:30 bedtime and its accompanying social suicide. I will not complain.

If after these 2 weeks of cross training my right foot stops its aching I will never, ever again take for granted a single step. Cross my heart, hope to die, stick a needle in my eye."



Even if my mileage is WAY down, at least I am able to run some.


I received my October issue of Running Times yesterday. It blows Runners' World out of the water again.
A great article on Alberto Salazar's Oregon Project.
Greg McMillan's column on Performace Plateaus.
Blood Sport: What runners need to know about their blood test results.
An article on Coach Jay Johnson's program in Boulder, CO (very good).
A 12-page article titled Cross Country H.S. handbook (excellent).
An article on proper cool downs by Julia Lucas!

It is a must read issue!


Finally, here are my picutres from the Santa Monica 5k on Sunday. Check 'em out!

8 mile aqueduct run (63 minutes)

I woke up a little earlier this morning to drive the two miles up to the aqueduct. The aqueduct is 400ft higher in elevation than my house and I am trying to stay away from hills for the next few weeks since my calf is feeling better. I left a little before 6 am with my headlamp on the paved side of the aqueduct and felt pretty good. My calf fatigued slowly throughout the run. I went out 3 miles and back as to not get too far from my car. I was really hoping to make it 8 miles and after 6 it was whispering then I switched to the dirt side and did another 2 miles for a total of 8 in 63 minutes (just under 8 min pace). It is now tight but not painful. My right glut is also tight from working a little harder to compensate for the calf.

So the question is how do I begin to ramp back up without reinjuring or over doing it? I know that an hour is about my max right now so I will probably keep my long run to an hour until it feels a little easier. Then I can add a mile or two every two weeks to the long run as long as everything continues to improve. During the week I will try and run at least 6 miles (45 min) every other day and not run two days in a row until it is not so stiff the next day. If I do run two days in a row on the weekend the second day will be more of an easy recovery run 4-5 miles. I won't do any tempo runs, threshold runs, or certainly not intervals until it feels a little looser on these long runs (probably not until next month). Progressing your running after an injury is very individual and there is some trial and error. There is not one general formula. The plan can change from day to day depending on how I feel. The 10% rule is good but not perfect. That means an mileage increase of 10% each week. It is very conservative. Last week I ran 9 miles so if I followed the 10% rule then this week I could run 10 (I have already run 13). I first try and get back to 4 days a week and once I can tolerate that well then I start to increase the mileage more.

Here is a link to an article about the Santa Monica 5k that I ran on Sunday.

Santa Monica 5k (19:31)

Friday I ran 3 miles, yeah three miles up and down M-12. It is a half mile from 50th to 55th and I just kept running back and forth as it is the most level road near my house.

I tried to set up the best possible race day situation for my legs, basically by not running. I didn't run on Saturday but got all my yard work done and that afternoon we drove down to Santa Monica. My brother-in-law Jon and I had signed up for this race a few months ago, but since my calf injury I can honestly say I was not looking forward to it. I actually signed up for the 10k but decided in the last few weeks that I would drop down to the 5k. I didn't want to push my luck. Plus I haven't run farther than 6 miles in a month.

This morning Jon and I drove to the starting area. Andi stayed with all three boys at the hotel. Thanks Andi! The weather in Santa Monica was beautiful. I don't know why I was surprised, it is always beautiful in the morning (unless there is a storm). The temp was probably in the mid 50s. We got our bibs and chips and warmed up a bit. We were 40 minutes early, so we hung around the staring line for a while. I spotted a familiar face above the crowds. I knew it was a former NBA player but I couldn't place his name. Later with the help of Justin Patananan we determined it was Kenny Smith, formerly of the Houston Rockets! When it got closer to the start some of the elite runners ran by us and I spotted Jen Rhines and Alistair Cragg of the Mammoth Track Club. I asked them if they would take a picture with me and they agreed. They both ended up winning the 5k! There were also runners from McMillan Elite.




I decided I would start conservatively and see how my leg felt. When the race started there were lots of people passing me. I saw Sergio Reyes warming up for the 10k! I held back but my leg felt good so I picked up the pace and went through the mile in 6:30! I continued to pick up the pace, now passing a runner every few steps, and went through mile 2 at 6:05! I still didn't even have any tightness. I hoped it wasn't just race adrenaline. The course starts and ends at different locations and most of the race has a slight uphill grade to it, but you make the turn after the two mile mark and run back to the famous Santa Monica Pier. During the last mile the leaders were coming toward me. I had carried my camera in my right hand the entire race so I slowed down, pulled over, and took a pictures of Alistair (13:54) and Jen (16:00) as they were finishing. Then I made the turn and picked up the pace again toward the finish line. At one point I looked down and my garmin said 5:34 pace! My official finishing time was 19:31 (6:18 pace). I did a little cool down to make sure my calf didn't tighten up too bad after the race. My brother-in-law ran 30:25, bettering his time from the Newhall 5k in July. It is a very competitive race with 78 runners under 20 minutes! See results here.

We stuck around to see Sergio place 3rd in the 10k with a time of 29:11! We found his wife Aimee and cheered him in. Afterward he told us it was a fast race considering it was a minute faster than when he won the race in 2007. Justin Patananan, of Palmdale, was 16th in 31:41 (also a course best). He said he has been dealing with some plantar fasciitis that has made his training inconsistent. 10k results here.




My leg is a little tight tonight but not too bad considering what I put it through today. We had a great weekend in Santa Monica. After the race we took the boys to the beach and also found a great park!

Labor Day Weekend

I just looked back in my blog. Two years ago I was in pretty darn good shape over Labor Day. I was training for a half marathon trail race (Boney Mountain) that was postponed, but later in October ran an aqueduct half marathon time trial in 1:24:33. Last year I was recovering from a summer left knee injury and trying to get ready for the Twin Cities Marathon.

This Saturday I ran 6 miles (48 min) easy and felt ok about it. My calf was tired the rest of the day mowing the lawn etc but not too tight. The weather has been very calm all weekend. When it is calm this time of year we get gnats! I ran most of the run with my head down trying not to get a gnat in the mouth!

Sunday I woke up and thought about meeting Dale and Chuck but decided I didn't feel like driving and my calf was feeling a little stiff so I stayed around Quartz Hill. This was also the first time I had run on back to back days in over a month. I started slowly up M-12 from my house and then ran down 55th all the way to L. My leg felt great and I was cruising in the low 7 min range. Then I turned up 70th and could instantly feel the right calf telling me, "Don't push it up hill." By the time I got to M (1 mile up 70th) I knew my run was over. I jogged down M to 55th and then walked it home. Total running mileage was 6 again. I had planned on 8. I stopped before any cramping or pain but it has been more sore today. I guess I should have gone out to meet Dale and Chuck after all. Since I can't run any positive grades, the aqueduct would have been the place to go.

Got my October issue of Runner's World Magazine this weekend. It was actually the best RW issue maybe this year. Great workout ideas, great hip and core exercises, and great article about excercise when pregnant and returning to running post-partum. It is about time, I was close to giving up on that magazine. The last issue was worthless.

Sorry my blog is becoming so pathetic and boring. Trust me, I wish things were going differently.

Best 4 miles in the past two weeks.

I ran 4 miles this morning with no sharp pain! It was slow and not pretty, but no pain. The right calf just feels weaker than the left. I can't push off as easily as I can with my left. I know what it should feel like and it is just not there yet. I have continued the splinting every night which I think has helped along with calf raises and toe walking during the day.

The Angeles Crest 100 (another local ultra mostly on the PCT) was this past weekend. Jorge Pacheco won and was the only runner under 20 hours. Keira Henninger, the race director for Leona Divide, was the first female finisher in exactly 24 hours.


"Scott (Jurek) stumbled upon the most advanced weapon in the ultrarunner's arsenal: instead of cringing from fatigue, you embrace it. You refuse to let it go. You get to know it so well, you're not afraid of it anymore." --Chris McDougall in Born to Run