3 Legs

No, it's not a surgery that I am considering to make me faster.. (but imagine if it was a possibility?) Here are the three legs that I will be running for the relay. I am runner #9 of 12 in our Team of Lori's Lusty Lads for the Calistoga to Santa Cruz 199 Mile Relay. 

Leg 9

Estimated Start: Sat. 5:19 pm

Location: Sonoma

Mileage: 5.6

Rating: Easy

Course: Uphill

Leg 21

Estimated Start: Sun. 3:58 am

Location: Milbrae

Mileage: 6.5

Rating: Moderate

Course: Rolling Hills

Leg 33

Estimated Start: Sun. 12:23 pm

Location: Ben Lomond

Mileage: 6.3

Rating: Easy

Course: Flat to Downhill

There it is. What my weekend will look like on paper.  I can only imagine what it will be like to experience. I have the second easiest leg assignment, but it also has the second most miles with a total of 18.4. I am slowly getting excited, but am trying to focus on Big Sur. 

Can I think of The Relay as a potential celebration run or will it be a redemption run? 

I am a Lusty Lad

As many of you may know, I have been training for the Big Sur Marathon on April 26. Usually post marathon I'll take a couple weeks and relax with some light runs... not this time.

That's right. Less than a week later, on the following Saturday, I will transform from a PavementRunner to a member of Lori's Lusty Lads for The Relay. It's a 199 mile twelve person relay from Calistoga to Santa Cruz.

There are several of us doing the Big Sur marathon the week before, so our legs will not be as fresh as most, but a lot of us couldn't resist the opportunity to be a part of this amazing challenge. This is the same event that Dean Karnazes runs solo. He covered it in his book, Ultramarathon Man: Confessions of an All-Night Runner. He runs it every year covering 199  miles on his own over the weekend as TEAM DEAN. (I highly recommend picking up the book below, it is a fantatsic read about an amazing human being.)

When the idea was brought up amongst our training group, I took awhile to think whether or not I would have the energy to participate. Once I started seeing the 12 slots begin to fill up, I knew it was an opportunity I didn't want to miss. Even if our group decided to do it again next year, experiencing it the first time around was something I wanted to be a part of.

This whole week, I'll be covering in detail how the event will unfold and which parts of the course I will be running. Our team logo is above and when the team asked me to design it, I was honored. We are currently having them placed on dri fit shirts and I'm real excited to see how they turn out. 

Oh ya, the team name and it's origins. 

Lori's:

Many of us started running as participants in the San Francisco National AIDS Marathon Training Program. This is where many of us met Lori. Words fall short in explaining what Lori has done for so many of us. We all knew that her name would have to be a part of our team's identity since she is an essential part in many of our lives today.

Lusty:

Here is the definition: exhibiting lust or vigor; stout; strong; vigorous; robust; healthful; able of body. With the emphasis on strong, vigorous, healthful and able of body. Plus it sounds sexy. Ha.

Lads:

Well, because apart from Lori, the remaining 11 members are men. (or lads).

And there it is: Lori's Lusty Lads. There were many different versions thrown around and many covered over our 18 mile run a month ago. I think for about an hour we were throwing names around on that training run. The things that cross your mind on long runs.

But, the name is set, our 12 are set, we are registered and paid for. We are hashing out the final details on Saturday and in 3 weeks we will be running as a team for 2 straight days. I can only imagine the stories that will come from this.

24 in the Books

It's official, I went one over Jordan on Saturday. On a gorgeous day to run, I joined six other runners and set out on a 24 mile excursion at 6:40 a.m.

It was cold, around 41 degrees (warm for our snow friends) as we were departing Golden Gate Park and headed for the Presidio. Our turnaround point was in Sausalito on the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge. I have never run on that side, so I was looking forward to it.

Unfortunately, to get there it involves going across the Golden Gate Bridge. It's not that I don't like the bridge... just not a fan of running ON it. I love the view, I love running near it and even up to it, (Hopper's Hands?). But being on it is almost 2 miles (each way) that I sort of just zone out. Usually it is an out and back across it, but this time we were running on the other side into Sausalito, a beautiful, quiet artist/boat community. And at 8 in the morning on a Sat., it's filled with runners and bikers all enjoying the route and scenery.

There were some slight hills along the way, but nothing we haven't been working up to handle. Our team was set to run 22 that day, but the final course ended up being a little over 21 which left me 3 mi. short of my goal. I left the house late so I wasn't able to sneak in my 2 miles before. Luckily there was another runner that wanted to hit 24, so we set out on a 1.5 out and back on Great Highway. I don't think I would have been able to do the last 3 at a decent pace without my friend, he had the energy and he was pulling me with him, which I was glad to follow.

I finished my 24 in... Drum roll, please: 4:13. OMG. That puts me completely on pace for a sub 5 finish and gives me a huge confidence boost for Big Sur. That being said, here comes the rationale part: I stopped my watch at our water and stretch stops. Honestly you could proly (probably) add on 20 mins. to that time, but on an official course I wouldn't have taken those stops as long as we did. I usually never stop my watch on training runs, but this day, I thought I could use the extra boost. Also, Big Sur has major hills, so we have to take that into consideration. In reality my 4:13 probably would have been a 4:30 with the water and stretch stops I normally take, but my watch said 4:13 and I'm gonna celebrate like it's 1999 because I can.


Now it is 3 weeks of taper and enjoying what I have gone through to get to this point. Thank you to everyone on Facebook that shot me out some positive energy for 24. It went fabulous and I couldn't be happier. Afterwards it was a walk in the icy cold pacific ocean and my legs feel great today. Good enough to squeeze in a 3-4 mile run tonight. Cheers.

Twenty Four

I'm no Jack Bauer, but I will be conquering 24 (miles) on Saturday. That's right, 2.2 miles shy of glory. I know you're thinking: "Why not run the full distance?" Great question.

For me, 26.2 is a sacred number. And honestly, 20-22 miles is probably as far as you need to go to finish a marathon. Of course, doing more is better. If you can run 30, 26.2 seems much easier. But for me, I've never run over the marathon distance and my ultra marathon dreams are years away, so for now 24 is a great number to see how I will fare a couple weeks from now.

Most training programs take runners to the 20-23 threshold and save the full (literally) experience for race day. I like to follow the same mind set. Although, I have been flirting with going over the distance to build more endurance, but right now it's just smiling at the girl across the bar. Maybe in the future I'll buy her a drink.

Sorry, I digress. I'm a little anxious to get in my 24, so much so, that my group is planning to run 22 this weekend and I'm going to show up early and sneak in 2 miles beforehand. I thought we were scheduled for 24 as our last long run, but I guess 22 is as high as we go. Now I'm in a position where (mentally) if I don't get in 24, I'll feel like I cut myself short. Which is a bad mind set getting ready for race weekend.

So, this Saturday I will run 2 miles solo around 6 a.m., then run 22 (hilly) miles with the crew. I'm viewing this as true and final test to see how I will do at Big Sur in a couple weeks and I'm also excited to begin my taper. It'll be nice to now that I don't HAVE TO spend 4+ hours on the pavement Saturday mornings. Instead, it will be more like 2. Much nicer, right? At least that is what I keep telling myself.

Deep down inside I LOVE the long runs... I'm one of those people that embraces it.

Return to Nike RunClub

In less than half an hour, I will be taking part in what used to be a weekly ritual for me: Nike RunClub. Last year, I would run most Wednesdays with the weekly night run that NikeTown in SF hosts. As for this year, I just haven't been able to keep it in my schedule.

Well, that time is over and I am committing to it again! With my work schedule changing to 9-6, it works out perfectly since RunClub starts at 6:30. Call it a blessing in disguise, call it the Run Gods telling me to get my butt back in shape (literally, cuz my jeans are getting a little snug.)

Downside of running high mileage, you just feel plain lazy during the week. Both before and after. I have a huge-ly ginormous, mucho-importante 24-miler this weekend. It will be a true gauge as to how I will fare at Big Sur in (gulp) three weeks. But more of that to come later in the week. Right now, it is NIKE TIME! Yep, Nike time in my Asics. Sorry Nike, I wear Asics.

Run Strong everyone!