15 mile long run

I got up early to meet Dale and Chuck and tag along for their Sunday long run. We met at 5:15am at Ave. S and the aqueduct, put on our headlamps, and headed out. The temps were in the high 30s to low 40s which was perfect long run weather. NO WIND!! We just talked and kept plugging away on the 2.5 mile stretch of aqueduct. We would come back to the start every 5 miles, get something to drink, and head out again. After 10 miles I was feeling a little tired but really wanted to get a 2 hour run in so I went out for one more lap. We finished 15 miles in 2 hours 10 minutes (avg 8:40 pace). We had some good conversation, took it easy, and let the miles fly by. The sun didn't come up until we hit mile 13! Thanks Dale and Chuck for a good run! The calf is holding up good, we'll see what happens next weekend.

26 mile weekend!

138 mile October. Working my way back.

Happy Halloween! Andi out did herself again on the homemade costumes! AWESOME!

2mi warm up + 9mi steady state run

The plan this morning was to meet Keira Henninger to run the Leona Valley Trail Races Marathon course. I got a call at 6 in the morning that Interstate 5 was a parking lot and there was a major traffic problem at the 5 - 14 interchange. It was also pouring rain at the time and she decided to turn around. I decided I didn't want to run for 5 hours by myself in the rain today and went back to sleep. I am hoping to get out there more often once the time changes and it will be lighter earlier. When I woke up about an hour later the rain had stopped and there was blue sky. What happened? So I headed out from my house. I ran a loop that I have wanted to try. The course was from my house, up to the aqueduct and left towards Palmdale. I ran to the end and down the hill behind Highland High, then weaved through the neighborhood to 30th and headed home on Rancho Vista. It was exactly 11 miles!

There was snow on the top of the Tehachapi Mountains this morning! After a two mile warm up, up to the aqueduct (400ft elevation gain in 2 miles) in just under 18 minutes, I started feeling pretty good and picked up the pace. The next miles were as follows 7:32, 7:25, 7:16, 7:02, 6:32, 6:51, 6:51, 7:14, 6:43. I went through the 10 mile mark just under 75 minutes and that included the first two miles in 18 minutes. Total time for 11 miles was 1:21:17 or 7:24 pace. The calf heald up pretty good which makes me feel a little better about next weekend (Santa Clarita Half Marathon).

I have been working with Google Earth and my Garmin software to make maps for some of these trail runs. Here's what my run looked like today on the map and elevation!

Clay's hill workout

I got up and ran over to Clay's house to meet him and Dale for their morning hill workout. It is exactly 2.5 miles from my house to his. There was a cool ring around the moon this morning. The temperatures were in the high 30s with no wind. PERFECT! We ran another mile before starting the hill workout. It is a set of 3 differnt hills but the last one is run twice and the first one is a warm up. I didn't know how my calf would hold up to the hills so I stayed with Clay to push him on his sets. He had a great workout. I ran home from there for a total of 8 miles in 64 minutes of varying speeds. I had to stop and stretch my calf between hill sets.

Thirsty Thursdays with Jack Daniels is on the transition from high school to college running. It made me think about my transition from running as a Senior at Green Valley High School to a Freshman at California Lutheran University. It was a tough one. I trained over the summer and ran a downhill road 10k before leaving for school in 36:36 (still my 10k PR). I had a tough transition to college running though and never ran under 30 minutes for 8k my first year. The jump from 5k to 8k was tough on me. I would typically go out too hard and fade in the middle. It is tough to run your own race when most of the guys can go out at 5:00 pace or under and hang on. I seem to remember usually going out around 5:30 pace but still running around 30min. I dealt with the worst case of shin splints I have ever had come championship races and ended the season on a poor note. In track our coached trained most of the distance crew for the 1500m and I gained a lot of speed. I remember doing a weekly workout that was 4 or 6 x 400m and I would be last on each rep running at 67 sec! I never ran farther than 3k that spring, mostly 1500m (around 4:36), but I did run in one 4x400m relay and the head coach clocked me at 54 seconds! I still don't know how accurate that was, I never ran faster than 57 seconds before or after that. I am guessing it was closer to 56. I think by the end of track season I had gained about 10 pounds as well which probably didn't help. I remember weighing about 165 at the end of high school and being somewhere in the 180s by the time my freshman year was over. All in all it was fun and that is what counts, but I remember it being a tough transition to balance school, running, social life etc.

Nike Commercial

Easy 8

October has been great for running weather, until this week. We had hail and rain earlier this week and the wind has barely let up. It was breezy this morning. I got out the long sleeved shirt but probably didn't need it quite yet. I took it easy, my right calf still feels weak and "on the verge" of something worse. No music, no watch, I am estimating 8 miles, no idea how long it took me. Felt like 8:30 pace. I'm kind of dreading Santa Clarita in two weeks after the results from Wednesday's steady state run.

Andi was supposed to drive down to Huntington Beach for a 10 miler on Saturday but she bailed since we had such a busy weekend. She still got in a run with her friend Dawn that morning in Acton. I did not run on Saturday, and there is no such thing as sleeping in at my house. My boys are both up around 6:00am, sometimes earlier.

We went to Homecoming at CLU on Saturday and had a 3rd birthday party for my son Micah on Sunday. Great fun!


Race Results: Dale ran a PR at the Huntington Distance Derby 10 miler, breaking 70 minutes for the first time in 68:14! I could tell that was coming. Congratulations Dale!

5 mile @ Steady State

Steady State Run, Tempo Run, Threshold Run, LT Run, what the heck is the difference? Greg McMillan would say the Tempo Run, Threshold Run, and LT Run are all the same. A Steady State run is some where between an "easy" pace and a threshold run. I would argue that a Threshold run is a Steady State run. It is any run where you hold a pretty consistent high aerobic pace for a set amount of time. Are you still confused?

I didn't plan on running faster this morning, but I started out feeling good and went with it. I ran my Rancho Vista loop that is exactly 7.5 miles, but I always make it an even 8. After my first mile 8:16 I started picking up the pace. The next 5 miles were 7:18 (feeling pretty good), 6:56 (still feeling strong), 6:50 (keeping it steady), 6:42 (let's not get too crazy here), 6:54 (this is my last one). Then right before the 6 mile mark my right calf gave me a quick, "slow down or else!" and I listened. I finished in 8:01 and 8:19 and had twinges again the rest of the day. "Whew, that was close." Total time was 59:15 (avg pace 7:24) for 8 miles. I was feeling great for 5.5 of that steady state run.

These calf strains seem to be contagious this year. Olympian, Blake Russell just pulled out of the NYC marathon due to a calf injury.

Found this interesting article and endurance calculator that computes your carb calories needed to run a certain time in a marathon and then how many carb calories you should "load up on" prerace. I'm not sure I totally understand it but it is interesting to read and play around with.

Ryan Hall is splitting with his coach Terrance Mahon after a disappointing year. Rumor is he is still staying in Mammoth. I am a little surprised actually. His 4th place and American best time in Boston didn't seem too disappointing to me. Of course everyone wants to win or be on the podium. Dropping out of Chicago was a big deal though.


OK YOU HAVE TO READ THIS ONE!

And finally, another great Thirsty Thursday with Jack Daniels. Maximizing performances with age.

"Stepping outside the comfort zone is the price I pay to find out how good I can be. If I planned on backing off every time running got difficult I would hang up my shoes and take up knitting."--Desiree Davila

Is anyone reading this thing?

I hope there are some people out there reading this blog besides my local running pals (you know who you are)! There is some darn good stuff out there for runners these days and I only post the best stuff I find. Anything I post here is either very entertaining (to me anyway) or educational. Please share this information with anyone you think would benefit from it. Today is one of those great educational posts.

I recently posted some comments on the RW running doc's post on kids running marathons. Then I found this recent post from Coach Jay Johnson on Metabolic changes vs Structural changes. The gist is that "metabolic changes occur faster than structural changes…and that’s usually why you get hurt." The entire post is worth a read, probably twice. Clay, this is exactly what we talked about today when we were discussing Scott (large engine weak chassis)! This is probably blog worthy for the DCXC blog. Even the comments on Coach Jay's post are all worth reading.

It reminds me of Greg McMillan's philosophies on his new DVD "McMillan's Guide to High School Cross Country." In this video he says we all have two gauges, a musculoskeletal gauge and a cardiovascular gauge, and we are always looking at the wrong gauge to progress training. He is saying exactly what Coach Jay states on his blog, "The point is simply that the athlete gains aerobic fitness (or even anaerobic fitness/tolerance) quicker than their structure – their bones, muscles, tendons and ligaments – can handle that fitness."

So what do both of these great coaches do to make sure their athletes musculoskeletal system can keep up with their cardiovascular system? Form drills, general strengthening (GS), and core training! Greg McMillan has a 3 level DVD program on these topics and Coach Jay posts short GS videos on his blog all the time. Check them out!

Any one coaching, training, or advising young runners should read all these posts and probably order some of McMillan's DVDs. They are inexpensive and FULL of great information. Please comment on what your thoughts are. Agree? Disagree? Have a question? Want more information? Let me know!

6 miles yesterday!

I did get out for a run yesterday. I was sore from hitting the trails hard on Saturday. It was definitely a recovery run at 9:00 pace again. After about 3 miles my right calf started to talk to me again. It was whispering but still talking so I slowed even more. I couldn't figure out why until I remembered that I rolled the same ankle Saturday. The sun was right in my face and I raised my hand to block it when I missed a step and rolled it. My peroneals are still sore today so I think my calf had to do some extra work causing some tightness. It is fine today, besides the peroneal soreness. Sunday was one of those runs you just want to be over with, until I got home and saw this sunrise! This picture was taken from my front door!

Race Results: Keira Henninger won the Diablo 50k in a female course record this weekend in 5:38:16! Congratulations Keira! She was the second overall finisher.

If anyone was planning on running next year's Boston Marathon, I hope you signed up today, because registration started this morning at 9:00 am and they filled the 25,000+ slots by 5:00 pm! Read the RW article on this record closure.

Leona Valley Trail Races Half Marathon

I set out today to measure and map out the half marathon course for the Leona Valley Trail Races next October. The course is easy to follow. The start is at the Lake Hughes Community Center. There is a fire road to the right of the community center where the starting line will be. You run up the Lake Hughes Truck Trail or 7N05 for 3.4 miles where you come to an intersection with the Leona Divide Fire Road or 6N04. There you make a hard right onto the PCT (Pacific Crest Trail) and run down the switchbacks 3.3 miles to the aid station at a clearing right before Lake Hughes Road. There you turn around and retrace your steps to the finish line. The course is 13.4 miles, a little long but incredibly close.

Clay met me this morning with his dog Aurora to run the course. We started running together up 7N05. I also wanted to mark the 1.55 mile turn around for a 5k. I kept checking my watch and there was a lookout spot up ahead with an incredible view toward Lake Casitas that turned out to be exactly 1.55 miles. So the 5k is from the community center to the lookout and back.

I left Clay soon after and continued on my own. I have a little problem when I am running by myself. That is, I start to push the pace a little, then a little more, by the time I realize it I am really cruising on the trail. This can also happen on the road or the aqueduct. I started picking up the pace once I got on the PCT. I made it to the turn around in just over 57 minutes, then started back up the switchbacks to the aid station and back down 7N05 to the Community Center finishing in 1:53:35 (averaed 8:30 pace over the mountains. Mile splits: 10:20, 9:05, 8:46, 8:10, 8:36, 8:00, 8:19, 10:12, 9:41, 8:23, 8:06, 7:08, 6:28. Can you tell which miles were uphill and which were downhill?

Elevations are as follows: Community Center 3250ft, highest point 4085ft, and Lake Hughes Rd 3000ft. So there is about 1000ft elevation change every 3 miles! That is an AVERAGE grade of 6.3%.

Rest of the week

I did run 8 miles on Wednesday morning. I run a lot by feel, and Wednesday I wasn't feeling it. I finished the 8 miles in 72 minutes (9 min pace). It was pretty slow, but I got through it and felt better the rest of the week. It seriously took me nearly 5 days to fully recover from that 18 mile trail run. It probably didn't help that I flew down the hill the last three miles. So what should I do now, I am headed back up to Lake Hughes in the morning to map out the half marathon course on the Garmin for Leona Valley Trail Races. It is an out and back course shaped like a V (up to the top, down the other side, turn around and head back. The elevation chart should look like the letter M. The course is a little long, 13.4 I think. We'll find out for sure tomorrow.

Another great Thirsty Thursday this week.

Also another great article on Joan Benoit Samuelson with a cool picture from Chicago.

Finally, the new Sports Doc at Runners World answers the question, "Should kids be running marathons?"

I agree with all the Doc's points. If progressed conservatively there is no reason kids can't run long distances. The Doc says, "The adults I know who ran marathons as 10- to 12-year-olds and are now in their 40’s and 50’s have no known problems." Look at the east Africans. These kids run sometimes up to 6 miles to school and then back home every day, with smiles on their faces. There is a reason why they dominate the distance events and that is early aerobic conditioning. He also states, "There is no evidence that long distance running causes any permanent growth plate injury in child or adolescent runners. The growth plate is vulnerable to injury, but probably at much greater risk in the contact and collision sports–football, basketball, soccer, ice hockey, and others that we actively promote for child participation–than in pain-free distance running for a child." I personally think that races farther than 10k should be limited until high school age and marathoning can wait until college age. At least that will be the rule for my boys.

How old were you when you ran your first marathon? Half marathon?

I was 15 when I ran my first half marathon (1:32) and I was 24 when I ran my first marathon (3:15).

3 mile recovery run

"You don't stop running because you get old. You get old because you stop running." --Dipsea Deamon

I usually don't run on Mondays. I think there are many people that don't run on Mondays, but they should. The vast majority of us do our weekly long runs on the weekend, or at least a good chunk of mileage on the weekend. I am no different. I ran 9 on Saturday and 18 on Sunday for a total of 27 for the weekend. Most of us are so stiff and sore from the weekend that we just sleep in and take Monday off. What we should be doing is a recovery run or at least cross training. The recovery run, although usually stiff and slow, will do just that, help you recover buy increasing blood flow to the same muscles that are tight and sore, thus helping flush out all the crap and restore a normal homeostasis.

So today I got out for a 3 mile recovery run. It was slow, not quite a shuffle, but close to it. It should be at least two minutes slower than marathon pace. I was actually suprised how I felt. Symmetrical soreness, a phrase I came up with for normal post hard workout or long run soreness. My run yesterday was nearly twice what I was used to. I am most sore in my calves but they feel equally sore, ok maybe the right is a bit more sore than the left, but they are close. This recovery run will help set me up for better workouts this week.

Keira Henninger had a nice post on her blog about our run yesterday. Thanks again Keira. Looking forward to more trail runs!


Here's a nice article about Joan Benoit Samuelson's race at Chicago. She's AMAZING!

Michael Wardian (world record holder for the marathon while pushing a baby in a baby jogger), just won the Hartford Marathon this weekend in 2:24:38. Why is that so amazing, well it is his 6th marathon victory this year and he was 11th at Twin Cities last weekend in 2:21:13!


"That’s the thing about running: your greatest runs are rarely measured by racing success. They are moments in time when running allows you to see how wonderful your life is." --Kara Goucher

Leona Divide 30k!

I had the opportunity to run with race director and recent Angeles Crest 100 winner, Keira Henninger, this morning. She directed her first race this year at my first ultra, Leona Divide 50. Since then she started the Los Pinos 50k, and most recently is planning a new multi-race day next October called Leona Valley Trail Races. The tentative date is October 8th. When I heard about her plans I contacted her offering help with the courses and race planning. She emailed me right back and asked if I was available to map out, measure, and run the new Leona Divide 30k this weekend. I jumped on the offer.

We met at the Lake Hughes Community Center at 7am and after discussing the course headed up the mountain. She was not as familiar with the roads and trails east of Lake Hughes Road, so I got to play tour guide as we went along. It was a blast! I hadn't been out there since LD50 and almost forgot how fun it is running out there. We met Clay and his dog Aurora, as we were just starting out on the PCT. We ran all the way down to Lake Hughes Road, turned around, and then made it back to the Community Center.

Keira is planning on four distances to choose from for the Leona Valley Trail Races. There will be 5k, 10k, half marathon, and marathon distances. We discussed each race course as we continued on the 30k course. I hadn't run farther than 10 miles at a time in the past 2 months so I was a little concerned, but we took it pretty easy and stopped at intersections to discuss course options. Keira is going to be racing and race directing full time from now on. I would recommend any of her races based on my experiences at LD50. She will be working hard on the two races in Leona Valley next year, so I hope to do some more trail running and race planning with her in the future. Thanks Keira!

My calf felt great the entire 18 miles today, and is no more tired or tight than any of my other runs this week. We'll see how it feels tomorrow.


Race Results from today:
Tom and Dan Ham finished the Portland Marathon in a water logged 3:58. Congrats to Tom on finishing his first marathon!

No world records today at Chicago. It was too hot. Temps in the 70s and highs in the 80s slowed Sammy Wanjiru to a 2:06!
The fastest American male was Jason Hartmann in 2:11, and fastest female was Desire Davilla in a PR of 2:26 with Magdalena close behind in 2:28. Not bad in the heat. The most impressive American was Joan Benoit Samuelson, who at the age of 52 ran a 2:47! On a cooler day she would have qualified for the Olympic Trials (missed it by a minute).

9 miles fartlek style

I have been feeling pretty good this week and taking advantage but trying not to over do it. The temps were in the low 50s when I left the house and set out to run the "Rancho Vista Loop." It is 7.5 miles but I tacked on some extra at the end and finished with 9 miles. I was running a fartlek style run which means "speed play" in Swedish. I would pick up the pace for a while, then ease off, then pick it up again, not for any set time just when I felt good. Funny, the miles splits afterward ended up being pretty even and it looks like a tempo run on paper. Splits were 8:21, 7:32, 7:03, 7:23, 7:05, 7:11, 7:15, 6:57, 7:04. Total time was 66 minutes for 9 miles or 7:20 average pace. I was running 6:40 pace on some of the "hard" segments.

I have a long trail run planned for tomorrow. I am running the new Leona Divide 30k course with race director Keira Henninger. This is one of those do as I say, not as I do, as it will be a big jump in long run mileage (an on the trails to boot), but it was an opportunity I didn't want to pass up. I hope the calf holds up.

Good luck to Tom and Dan Ham running the Portland Marathon tomorrow! I think they are guarenteed rain but hey it is Portland, right? Can't wait to hear all about it.

Chicago Marathon is also tomorrow. They have an incredible field assembled for the men and women. Make sure to check it out. Joan Benoit Samuelson is also running with the goal of running her third sub 2:50 since turning 50! I even read one article that said she might try and run a Olympic Trials qualifier (the B standard is 2:46).

Bizz Johnson Marathon is a trail marathon in northern California is also tomorrow and is on my list of races that I would like to do some day. It looks like a beautiful course (and all downhill!). Actually all three of these races are on my "to do list."

8 mile morning run

It was a little windy this morning, it is also colder in the morning (high 40s). This gave me an excuse to use my arm warmers and skull cap. I probably didn't need either one but it kept me warm for the first few miles. The other reason for the skull cap is to hold my ear buds in my ears. I guess I have misshapened ears because I have never found a pair that actually stays in my ears. So during the summer I rarely run with music. Today I did, and the cap goes over my ears and holds the ear buds tightly in place. Does anyone else have this problem?

Well I had a good run. I ran away from the wind toward Ave K. It is usually less windy past Ave M, but all downhill so I then turned around and ran back uphill to my house. I added another short hill closer to my house and my calf felt about 90%! I finished the 8 miles in 61 minutes exactly! The second half was faster than the first even though I was running uphill! I was feeling stronger after each mile today.


Ave you ever run an inagural marathon? It is kind of cool to say you ran the first race like, "I ran the first LA Marathon." I didn't really, I would have been 6 years old for the first one! Well, they had the inagural Camarillo Marathon this weekend and I guess it didn't go so well. They ran into quite a few problems. Check out the write up in the Ventura County Star.

Also don't forget to check out Thirsty Thursdays with Jack Daniels this week.

Finally, check out this interview with Peter Gilmore and Magdalena Lewy-Boulet on running nutrition (pre-workout, pre-race, carb loading, marathon fueling, and post run recovery).

3 in the rain, 2 on the treadmill

Not because of the rain but because Andi works on Wednesday so I have to be back at the house by 6:40. I didn't wake up til 5:50 so I jetted out the door and did 3 miles on the road. It was sprinkling rain and no wind, a very pleasant run (wish I could have been out there longer). My right leg held up well to the hills around my house. It still gets tight later in the day. I got home before Andi left and hopped on the treadmill for another 2 miles. The boys came in and watched me run. "Daddy you are running fast!"



Another great post by Coach Vern Gambetta.

Being the Best – Take Action Now
Here are some thoughts I put together for a team I was working with. In bold are the qualities with an explanation, but those are just qualities. Underneath each item you see the word action. I asked each team member to write out the action they were going to take to achieve the desired end result. Over the years I have learned it is too easy to set goals or to talk about being the best, unless those goals are followed up by specific actions it just is a very temporary feel good process. Each individual needs to take control and decide on the they action they will take. They must establish ownership. Do not recommend or assign an action for them.
Be Smart - Work on something specific each day. Have a plan! Train with a purpose. Improvement is incremental. Does not have to be big. Small steps lead to big steps.
ACTION:

Pressure is what you make it! Embrace it. Put yourself in pressure situations to learn. Use the pressure to make you better, internalize it and use it as a positive influence.
ACTION:

Belief – If you don’t believe in yourself who will? Think you are the best and you are on your way. Confidence, believe in yourself, your preparation and in your support system.
ACTION:

Routine – Great athletes do the same thing, the same way, at the same time each day. Regularity. You can set a clock by the routines of the great ones.
ACTION:

Work- Everyone works. The great ones work smarter with a sense of purpose. Analyze your strengths and weaknesses objectively. Then work to minimize your weaknesses and optimize your strengths. Bring your weaknesses up to the level of your strengths.
ACTION:

Choices - It is always about choices. Make the conscious choice to be the best. Life is constantly about choices.
Action:
Without ACTION these are all just words.Take ACTION now!

One more post on Sergio Reyes' win at TC

I found one more nice slide show and article from the race, and here are a few good photos I found.



The face of complete exhaustion and complete elation at the same moment!

More on Sergio's victory at Twin Cities

Here is the first article from the Star Tribune in Minnesota on Sergio's victory.

And a nice slide show with two great pictures, one of Sergio with the American flag and one of Sergio and Aimee.

By the way, Sergio's win today qualifies him to run for Team USA at the World Championships Marathon 2011 in South Korea!

Watch the finish line video again to see Sergio cross the finish line and be greeted by his wife Aimee!

Mission Accomplished!

I hadn't been longer than 8 miles in two months, so the goal today was 10 at Ave S and the aquecduct (which is out and back twice). It has been two months exactly since my calf injury, can you believe it. My mileage was cut back over 50% for the last two months. So today the goal was a healthy 10 miles. Well, mission accomplished, I had a nice run, 5 miles with a headlamp and 5 miles at sunrise in just under 80 minutes (8:46, 8:21, 7:59, 8:10, 7:54, 8:01, 8:07, 7:50, 7:39, 7:00). Dale, sorry I didn't let you know I was coming but I thought you would be out there. Missed ya I guess.

Chuck finished is back to back marathon weekend with a Maine Marathon today just under 4 hours! I got a text that said the last 6 miles were a battle with fatigue. I can only imagine! So mission accomplished Chuck! Congratulations! Back to back marathons in new states, both under 4 hours!

Mission Accomplished for Sergio Reyes who won the Twin Cities Marathon this morning in 2:14:02 (also a PR by over a minute) and took home the 2010 USA marathon purse of $25,000! Not bad for two hours of work! Runnerspace.com had the race live on their website but blew it when their camera batteries died half way through. Luckily I had an insider texting me with updates. Sergio's wife Aimee was on the lead car! Two guys took off at the start and Sergio hung back with the chase pack with 3 other guys. At about half way they caught the other group and finished as a pack of three. Sergio pulled ahead at the end and won by only 7 seconds! Congratulations Sergio, can't wait to hear more about it! I can't believe it has been a year since Andi and I ran Twin Cities last October.

Another 8 mile aqueduct run

I set out for another 8 miles on the aqueduct this morning. It was beautiful out there much like the sky yesterday. The aqueduct was like glass. I felt good the entire run and for the first time in a while, felt like I could have gone farther. I finished the 8 miles in just over 61 minutes and was cruising at 7:30 pace for most of the way. My calf was good all day until now. Currently it is tight and tired.

Chuck finished the New Hampshire Marathon in 3:55 today. He said it was beautiful but hilly and his knee is a little sore. I hope it holds up in Maine tomorrow. Good luck Chuck!

Twin Cities will be streamed live on runnerspace.com tomorrow morning. Sergio has a good shot at winning I think coming off a great track season. Fernando Cabada will be the competition, he sure is a cocky son of a gun. It should be a great race.