USATF Championships Day 4

I watched the final day of the track and field championships today with my boys. They really liked watching the races. Both the men's and women's 800m were great, and produced some fast times. Veterans Nick Symmonds and Khadevis Robinson went 1-2 in the men's 800m using great race tactics. Both should do very well at the World Championships later this summer. After the events were over we went into the backyard and practiced our long jumps.

Will Rogers State Beach

This is how we roll!

Beach day in Ventura, CA

Denver International Airport

We had a layover in Devner on our way to Minnesota today. The boys needed to "get some wiggles out" so I took them for a walk around the terminal. We were going to ride the "moving sidewalk." As we were walking I saw a man that I recognized. It was multiple Olympic gold medalist and 400m record world record holder Michael Johnson. I told the boys, "we have to go back and get the camera." The boys meanwhile just want to get to the moving walkway. We returned and I introduced myself to Mr. Johnson and asked if he didn't mind taking a picture with me and my boys. He obliged and I asked the gentleman who he was talking to if he would take the picture. When he turned around I realized it was Brian Clay, Olympic gold medalist in the Decathalon in Beijing! I was so suprised I didn't know what to say except ask to have my picture taken with him as well! So Brian Clay took the picture of us with Micheal Johson, and Michael Johnson took the picture of us with Brian Clay. Here are the pictures.

Andi says I should work for the FBI with my abilities to recognize people, especially celebrities and athletes, in their street clothes.

An extra tid bit on Brian Clay that I just read online. Before the Beijing Olympics Brian completed the SPARQ test which objectively measures athleticism in certain sports. He scored a 130.4 on the football test which was the highest score ever recorded. To put that score into perspecitve, Reggie Bush (NFL Running Back) scored a 93.38!

Mesa, Colordado Vacation + 20k run

We just returned from a vacation in Mesa, Colorado where my wife's grandmother has a cabin. The first day there it snowed a 4-6 inches giving us fresh powder to ski on the next two days. I got in one run on that snowy day during the short break in snowfall. I ended up running 20k (12.4 miles) in 1:40:50. It is very hilly up there and I could definitely "feel" the altitude. I haven't uploaded my garmin data yet but the town of Mesa, CO is at 5600ft and the bottom of the ski resort is at 8200ft. The cabin is somewhere in the middle, I believe around 6500ft. I ran in my New Balance 921s which are supposed to be designed for winter conditions. I was ready to be done as my right tibialis posterior started talking to me after about 90 minutes.


My advice for anyone traveling to altitude is to run based on effort and keep it easy for the first two weeks as most of the running effort will feel tougher than normal. It can take at least two weeks to acclimatize and even then it will take more effort to run the same speeds.


The next two days were spent downhill skiing. Both my boys went to their first ski school and did great. Matt did a day and a half of lessons and Micah did a one hour lesson and did multiple trips on the magic carpet with Andi, Clark, and I. The boys enjoyed the ski lessons and far exceeded our expectations. There were so few people on the mountain that the boys both had private lessons and we felt like we had the resort to ourselves. Once at the bottom we could hop right back on the lift for another run. It was pretty cold though, the temp at the top (9850ft) was -9 degrees at 9:00am!

So I only got one run in over the last week, but we had a great vacation. I take that back, on the return trip we actually did get some track work in on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway!

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.

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!

6 mile run BLAH

The plan was at least 12, I ended up with half that, and felt aweful. I blame lack of sleep over the weekend. Later in the day I felt great, except a little burning on my left heel still from the hills and cross country race last week. Well it is 11:00pm now so I better get to bed.

We did have fun at the beach!

Yosemite Pictures

Sorry I never got around to posting some pictures from our trip to Yosemite National Park. Here is a taste of the trip.

Yosemite National Park

We just returned from a family camping trip to Yosemite National Park. We had a great time. There was no running for me, unless you count running after children. More pictures to come. I'm too tired tonight.

Iron Girl

Andi had her first triathlon this morning at the Iron Girl Las Vegas. It was a sprint distance triathlon, which really only means less than Olympic distance, but it was a long course for a sprint (800m swim, 30k bike, 5k run). Some friends of ours, sisters Julie and Joni also competed. They had great weather and all were pleased with their races.

Andi finished the swim in 19:43 (2:28/100m) then bike in 1:06:07 (avg 16.3mph) and finished with a very strong 5k in 22:47 (avg pace 7:20). She was good through each transition and finished overall 85 out of 643 (25/139 AG) with a total time of 1:56:28! Julie and Joni finished 2:17:30 and 2:28:00 respectively. It was a fun morning. I don't think it will be the last triathlon for any of the girls.

Nutty Runners 5k Champion!

My plan this morning was to get up early and put in an easy 10 before the Nutty Runners 5k. I woke to gusty winds and crawled back into bed. We got the boys bundled up and ready and headed to Joe Walker for the race. Clay and I dressed as "Nutty" Runners with peanut costumes we found on amazon.com. This was my first race as a stunt runner and I have to say it was very fun. Kids and adults came up to us after the race asking to have their picture taken with us. We sort of ended up being the mascots for the race. The race was well organized and started right on schedule with a good turnout (168 finishers) despite the windy conditions. I took off at a conservative pace with the wind at my back and let a few guys take the race out. I was in second place at the mile and then took the lead soon after the turnaround. Once we turned back west on L-8 my peanut costume became a parachute that made the wind that much more tough. I was waiting for the other runners to pass me up but they never did. I peeked back at the turn toward the track and saw that I had a decent lead. Not realizing that we had 1.5 laps on the track I stopped a lap early and the finish line volunteers said, "you've got one more lap," so I kept going and finished first in 19:12. A 5k PR when wearing a peanut costume! This may also be the first race I have EVER won! People were cheering me on the whole way. "Go peanut guy!" After checking my watch I found that I was actually very evenly paced 5:55, 6:10, 6:15. I stayed at the finish line and cheered everyone else in. Andi pushed the boys and finished in 25:47. She said pushing 100 pounds (jogger and two boys) into the wind was REALLY hard. My nephew Luke and my son Matt both had fun picking a number (lane) and running around the track. Micah was cold and ready to go home. Matt stayed with me and helped pass out medals at the kids half mile run. He enjoyed cheering on the kids. Maybe next year he will run the race. Dale, you put on a great event. The bobble head trophies are excellent. The course is very fast. Without the wind it may be a minute faster. Can't wait for next year! The peanut guy will return to defend his title!
Other race results: Sergio Reyes was 19th at the USA 15k championships today at the Gate River Run in Jacksonville, FL with a time of 45:54.

Jingle Jog 2009

Two years ago I ran the Jingle Jog pushing my son Matt in the single jogger. My son Micah was only a month old and not ready to brave the cold weather. I met a college buddy of mine and we pushed our kids for 5k in 22 minutes and 24 seconds! Last year was so cold that we decided not to go. The event was postponed anyways.

This year, the weather was awesome and we got Andi out there with us. I pushed both boys in the double jogger in just under 25 minutes, which included stopping with .1 miles to go to let the boys out to run the rest with us! It took about a mile to break through some of the traffic (our mile split was 8:45) and we got into a groove after that. So I guess this was a double jogger PR for me! A good time was had by all! See Clay's blog for more pictures.

Back from Mammoth

We had a great weekend in Mammoth Lakes with the boys. I'm too tired to post. See the family blog for all pictures.


There has to be some running related news from the trip. No, we didn't run into Ryan Hall or Deena Kastor who live and train in Mammoth Lakes. We did drive through Lone Pine, CA on the way up which is near the finish of the Badwater Ultramarathon held a week ago. The local motels still had messages on the marque reading, "Go Badwater Runners Go." Here are the results from the race. And here is Dean Karnazes' story from his eighth Badwater finish.

Asics Gel-Kayano 15

Thursday after my run I felt some lateral right foot pain (more like an ache) the rest of the day. Right away I freak out about stress fractures. The next morning I wore some more cushioned shoes to work and had no lateral foot pain but a sharp pain all morning around the tarsal tunnel and talocrural joint (ankle joint). I had my colleague Adam look at it at lunch and we discussed my past few weeks of training. Ultimately we decided I was compressing the posterior tibial nerve. I needed a decrease in mileage for the weekend, which I kind of had planned anyway, and I was already looking into some new shoes. Oh, and after lunch on Friday I had minimal to no foot pain at all.

Friday night I went to Sport Chalet (the only place in town that carries any worthwhile running shoes) and with two gift certificates and a $20 off $100 coupon, bought a pair of Kayano 15 for about 40 bucks out the door! Here they are!
I took them for a short spin this morning and they felt great. I ran 5 miles easy in just under 40 minutes. Note the offset lacing system which is new this year. It is supposed to follow the normal shape of the foot better. These shoes remind me why I haven't run in anything but Kayanos for the past 5 years (my marathon career). The Kayano is Asics stability plus model, they also make a gel-3000 (also stability plus) that I have not tried. I used to wear Kayanos in high school as well (at least my junior and senior year) but stopped after that probably due to cost. They now retail for $139!

This afternoon the boys and I met Andi and the Cranes down in Orange County after a wedding. We took the boys to Huntington Beach on the way home. They sure are short!