One More For The Road

Whew! That was a long one! 16.15 miles total, and all without music because my RIO seems to be broken. Overall it wasn’t too bad. Like I’ve said before, I got so used to running with music that it’s kind of fun to be out there without it.

I felt good during the run, and finished feeling like I could have done a little bit more. I love ending runs like that, rather than running to the point of exhaustion. I also went against conventional advice, and took a warm bath when I got home (they advise against it because your raised body heat + the heat of the tub can make you woozy, but I cooled down before getting in the tub). It felt soooo good. My legs were tight, especially my hamstrings, and the bath totally loosened me up.

My final stats were:

2 hrs, 20 min, 17 sec (16.15 miles at 6.9mph)

8:42/mile

1277 cals

You can see a map of my route at:

http://www.runningahead.com/maps/d87c0a9469d9465f82fcac3c0775fe71

I feel great today. No lingering soreness or pain. My left knee feels twingey every now and then, but that’s been the norm for the last few weeks. Yesterday afternoon I think I did a poor job of rehydrating with electrolyte liquids, and had a massive headache throughout the evening and when I went to bed. It’s fine now, though, so I’ll chalk it up to a lesson learned.

This is a copy of part of the email I sent out, and being that I am incredibly unoriginal I’m just going to repeat it here!

For anyone who want to send a check or cash rather than donate online, email me and I’ll send you my address.

…………To make this even more special (and to give me more incentive so that I can’t chicken out!) I have chosen to run for a charity. I will be taking donations on behalf of Canyon Acres Children and Family Services. Canyon Acres is an amazing organization. Formed in 1980, they have offered help and hope to countless abused and neglected children and their families. The work being done there is inspiring, and has touched me so much that I am going to do my best to raise as much money as I can on their behalf.

For more information about their orgainization, and how you can donate, please visit my fundraising page at http://www.active.com/donate/canyonacres/CLambeth. Every little bit helps, and I thank you all in advance for your help and support.

Nice and easy today. My average heart rate was 149, where normally it’s 155-165. My high was 162, and normally I get up to 170-180 at some point during my run. But my legs were pretty tired from the speedwork yesterday. They felt like they weighed at least 30 pounds each, and only after about 3 miles did everything start loosening up. Over all it was a good run, through some new areas. I’m really likin’ this “no-mapping-before-I-leave” strategy. It’s much more fun and distracting.

1 hr 15 min 16 sec (8.72 miles at 7 mph)

8:38/mile

665 cals

I’ve been sans music lately, too, as I’ve left my Rio at home every day. It’s so interesting to run without it, and it makes me feel more…………connected to what’s going on around me. With music I can almost convince myself that I’m a ghost, an outsider that noone really notices. Without the music I am drawn into the lives around me. It makes running much more real. I think, though, that I’ll load up the Rio for the 16 miler on Sunday. 2 and a half hours is a looonnnnggg time to be running without any kind of musical distraction.

6 x 400

40 min (4.62 miles at 6.9mph)

8:39/mile

*6 x 400 means 6 repeptitions of 400 meters, with a 400 meter recovery jog after each hard run. In this case, I did a 5 minute warm up, then ran 400 meters at 8mph followed by 400 meters at 6.5mph.

I actually did it.

I signed up for a marathon. Not only did I sign up, but I already paid money, too. AND I agreed to run for charity! There’s no going back now!

I think I might be sick.

Okay, I’m only half joking. My tummy has been full of butterflies ever since I started seriously looking at it today. And now that I’ve committed myself? The butterflies have morphed into eagle-sized birds flapping aorund in my stomach.

The timing fits in perfectly with the training program I had already designed for myself. I know logically that I can do this (how weird is THAT for me to say??). The dates are good, with that time of year being cool in Southern California. Now I just have to hope and beg and plead for no rain. According to the Farmer’s Almanac, it’s only rained once on that day in the last 10 years. But January is also the rainiest month of the year for that area, too.

My mind is racing a mile a minute. Prior to today, “running a marathon” was a dream, a hazy, ethereal goal that never really took complete shape in my head. I could see myself running it, and kept saying that I knew I was going to do it at some point. But now that I’m signed up there’s that part of me saying, “Oh. You mean we’re really gonna do this?!”

My training up to this point has been focused on just getting better. Having a set date leaves me nervous about my program and my capabilities. More speedwork, more focus, and less deviating from the schedule is the order of the day.

It’s a big challenge, but in the time it’s taken me to write this (a rather long time, actually, thanks to the boys), my resolve has firmed and my stomach has settled. As anal as I am, I look forward to the training and the learning.

Race day is January 7, 2007. Race start is at 7:30am. My plan right now will be to stay with Elaine, but the hotel where the expo is is giving a discount on rooms. Not only that, but there’s a shuttle that can pick you up and drop you off after you’re done.

For the curious, you can go to www.ocmarathon.com for more information. I will be posting more information about the fundraising, so check back soon!

1 hr 4 min 57 sec (7.64 miles at 7.1 mph)

8:31/mile

I ran for time again today. I set out intending to do 70 minutes of running, with no planned route. I went left when I wanted and right when the mood struck me. The best thing about that is I found a whole new running area that I can now utelize during long runs.

I kept it nice and easy, with my heart rate well within range. I didn’t even really pay that close attention to my watch, but focused instead on how my body felt.

I did have some major cramps there at the end, and was focused only on getting home. But I feel good now, and am going to eat some breakast and get on with my day.

After deciding kind of at the spur of the moment to go down south for the weekend, I was a little worried that I wouldn’t be able to get in the 14 mile run that my training program had me set for. But thanks to the online maps at runningahead.com and Eric and Elaine’s help in planning my route, I was able to keep at it.

It was fun! I packed all of my essentials: post-run protein powders, pre-run shake powder, mini blender, shoes, hat, heart rate monitor, clothes, mid-run snacks. I thought of it all………until I realized 30 minutes after we left that I forgot my music! I was a little worried that I would lose motivation or get bored without the music to pump me up, but it turned out to be great.

Because I do all of my long runs with music, it was a nice change to be able to hear everything around me. And since I don’t know the area, it was doubly (I don’t think that’s even a word!) nice to know when other runner’s were coming up behind me, or to hear the traffic around me. I was also able to interact more with the other people out there. Basically, it all has me thinking of leaving the Rio at home more often!

I set out from Elaine’s house in Mission Viejo and went to Rancho Santa Margarita Lake. Gorgeous scenery! I ran to Santa Margarita and did 4 laps around the lake before heading back. My total mileage was between 13.56 and 13.8. It’s hard to tell, since the map doesn’t show the running path around the lake. I had to kind of guess, but that’s close enough.

The only downside were the hills that were on my route to and from the lake. Coming home was the worst, with a huge hill I had to climb after already doing 10 miles. It was tough, and my speed slowed down to a crawl, but I made up for it by running fast downhill. I felt like a little kid, with my legs pumping as fast as they could!

My mid run snack was once again a Fig Newton, and once again it didn’t make my tummy hurt. It’s nice to know that I have an easy food that settles well without spending all the money on expensive gels and snacks. The cookie with my 10 ounces of Gatorade worked out great!

My final stats, again, varied according to how far I went, but it ended up being pretty close in the end.

Either:

2 hours 15 seconds (13.8 miles at 6.9mph)
8:43/mile
1187 cals

Or:

2 hrs 15 sec (13.6 miles at 6.8 mph)
8:53/mile

I ran just beyond what was comfortable for me. I really wanted to not pay attention to my heart rate and time, but then I was feeling like I was overdoing it a little so had to glance at my watch to keep myself in line.

But I ran my little heart out. I didn’t take my Rio with me this morning either, so I was without music. That made it a little harder, since I get distracted by the sound of my breathing (weird, huh?). I try to regulate it too much when I can hear how stuttered it is, which makes me not breathe naturally which makes me breathless or causes side cramps.

But today was awesome. I’ve come to the realization that running fast is never going to come easily to me. Intervals and speedwork are one thing, because the pace is maintained for such short periods of time. I am never going to be comfortable running a 45 minute 10K, or (if I ever accomplish it) a sub-24 minute 5K. My body just isn’t going to like it. But that doesn’t mean that I can’t handle it, and achieve it every now and then. I just have to get used to running (for a significant amount of time) outside of my comfort zone.

I ran the first 3 miles as though the devil was on my heels, really pushing it. I kept thinking, “I don’t have to like this, I don’t have to like this, I don’t have to like this!” I was really having to pump myself up in order to keep going. The break down of the first half, (basically, to my pre-selected landmark):

25 min 6 sec (3.22 miles at 7.7 mph)

7:48/mile

I thought I slowed it down quite a bit, but apparently not as much as I thought. My overall time was:

47 min 12 sec (6 miles at 7.7 mph)

7:52/mile

468 cals

For those who are not Calorie King members, which would be many of you, you don’t know that I have been logging and recording my exercise for well over a year now.

But in an attempt to move away from the “diet” lifestyle, I am going to move that journal here. You’ll find recaps of my daily runs, along with mileage, time, and pace. I also include my goals, areas I want to improve on, and just general information about my training.

Soon I will be able to post actual pictures of the routes I run. I am getting help form another site as to how to link that up, but just know that it’s in the works.

{Perhaps I need to make the 20 minute drive and go run there!}

San Luis Obispo, California
This town calls itself “a feast for the senses — find out why

by: Doug Rennie

On the road into San Luis Obispo is a sign that reads, “If you live here, you’ll never want to move. If you visit, you’ll never want to leave.”

There really isn’t one. I just made that up.

But there could be. Lying halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles and ringed by the rugged Santa Lucia Mountains with some of California’s most spectacular headlands and beaches nearby, San Luis Obispo is an unblemished little diamond of a town. For a week or weekend of beach and trail running, plus supplemental mountain biking, hiking and sea kayaking, active travelers couldn’t find a more sublime setting.

Clean-air San Luis Obispo, site of 16,000-student Cal Poly University, sits 10 miles inland and all but oozes fitness and vitality. A creek runs through the town, and each Thursday evening there’s a festival of live music, with farm-fresh produce and ethnic food carts lining Higuera Street, the town’s main drag.

Ten miles northwest of SLO is Morro Bay, where the beach running and scenery are prime-time, and where the visitor magnet is Morro Rock, a 50-million-year-old, 576-foot-high extinct volcano. Less than an hour’s drive gets you to Hearst’s Castle.

USA Today’s Best Small Town in America, San Luis Obispo bills itself, with justification, as “A Feast for the Senses.” And you know what they say: if you can back it up, it ain’t bragging.

Contact the San Luis Obispo Chamber of Commerce (805-781-2777 or http://www.visitslo.com/) for a visitor kit.

A Runner’s Town

While SLO might be an apt acronym for the town’s kick-back-and-chill lifestyle, it surely doesn’t define the local running community. Among the over 200 members of the RRCA-affiliated San Luis Distance Club (805-543-6750) are 1996 Olympian Linda Somers Smith, ‘88 Olympic Marathon Trials winner Mark Conover, ‘96 Olympic Trials 1500 runner-up Jim Sorenson, steeplechaser Ivan Huff, former national high school cross-country champ Louis Quintana and James Menon (28:15 10-K), among others. SLO is also home base to the large (200-plus members), sociable San Luis Obispo Roadrunners & Triathlon Club (805-546-3302).

All this in a town of barely 40,000.

Venue Sports (4035 Higuera St., 805-781-3790), co-owned by 2:18 marathoner Joe Rubio and staffed by local runners, is SLO’s shoe and gear palace, general runner hangout, where-to-run information source and distribution center for fliers, entry forms, race results and newsletters. A few doors down is run/swim/cycle clothing outlet GH Sports (3765 Higuera St., #2, 805-541-6019).

And the places to run here! So many, so varied, so universally excellent. Imagine the running equivalent of a 50-dishes, all-you-can-eat buffet, where every saliva-stimulating morsel comes from the kitchens of Wolfgang Puck.

Snoozing Soundly In Slo

Where you stay depends on what you’re after.

If you want to nod off in the heart of downtown San Luis Obispo, check into the Garden Street Inn (1212 Garden St., 805-545-9802 or www.fix.net/garden), a B&B with nine rooms and four suites, each unique, each with original antiques and private bath. Really cool rooms are the earth-toned Valley of the Moon and the Field of Dreams, which is filled with yesteryear sports memorabilia. The inn offers a huge breakfast and complimentary evening wine and cheese, and you can walk to any place in town in 5 minutes.

Two miles from downtown is the elegant, Victorian Apple Farm Inn (2015 Monterey St., 800-255-2040), where all the rooms have gas fireplaces and some have turreted sitting areas.

Best for business travelers — and anyone coveting the comfort and convenience of a major hotel — is Embassy Suites San Luis Obispo (333 Madonna Rd., 805-549-0800 or http://www.embassy.suite.com/). All 196 suites have a separate living room, a big and well-lit work table, two phones with data ports, a refrigerator and microwave. You also get a complimentary full breakfast and evening happy hour, and the hotel has a small fitness center.

Tucked away in the woods halfway between SLO and the sea (say, 4 to 5 miles from both) is lushly gardened Sycamore Mineral Springs Resort (1215 Avila Beach Dr., 800-234-5831), where the architecture is white adobe/red tile Old California, and every room comes with a hot mineral spa perched on a private deck or balcony — the perfect postrun dunk.

If you want the quickest access to the area’s best beach and trail running, check into the Spanish-style Best Western San Marcos Motor Inn (250 Pacific St., Morro Bay, 805-772-2248) and ask for a bay-view room looking out on Morro Rock and the blue Pacific. Free deluxe continental breakfast and evening wine and cheese, every room has a refrigerator and data port, and there’s access to a fax/copy machine.

Grotesque but trippy is the renowned (some would say infamous) Madonna Inn (100 Madonna Rd., 805-543-3300 or http://www.madonnainn.com/), where the urinals in the men’s room are rock waterfalls and the rooms are tarted up Vegas-style with the likes of trapezoidal beds, brass cherubs and faux leopard-skin fabrics. If the idea of bunking down at a Central Coast crimson-and-pink pint-sized Graceland rouses you, then book a room here — perhaps one of the all-rock “cave” rooms.

Run With The Animals

The most popular close-in run is the 8-mile Poly Canyon Loop that winds through Cal Poly’s agricultural turf and serves up sweeping views at the top of the loop. Start near the gym (map inside) and follow the undulating dirt road lined with flora and fauna until you end up back where you started. “Stay on the main trail,” advises San Luis Distance Club’s Stan Rosenfield, “because this is land where the school’s livestock grazes.”

There’s also a 4-mile porcine option here. Head out the same way, but “turn onto the path that runs right through the pigs and loop back,” says SLO Roadrunners & Triathlon Club coach Roger Warnes. This is called — I love this — the 4-mile Swine Unit Loop. “If you can tell the difference between pigs and horses,” he says, “you can’t get lost.”

In Poly-land, it’s all rolling, all rural, all the time.To hook up with runners, join the 50 or 60 members of the SLO Roadrunners & Triathlon Club Sunday mornings (8:30) at San Luis Obispo High School for runs of 10 to 12 miles, sometimes longer, over the Poly Canyon Loop and environs. Up to 40 of Warnes’s Warriors also meet at the San Luis Obispo High School track on Tuesday and Thursday evenings (5:30) for intervals.

At SLO’s southwest corner is Laguna Lake Park, where runners can combine a 2-mile loop around the lake with several miles of dirt trails through the adjacent woods. “Get creative,” says Warnes, “and you can get in a nice 6-mile run.”

Running Wild

Pack your trail shoes and head 10 miles southwest of SLO for a guaranteed lifetime-memory run along the bluffs, through the eucalyptus-lined canyons and arroyos, atop the ridges and along the creeks of Montana de Oro, or “mountain of gold,” named for its carpets of spring and summer wildflowers. Remember the spectacular sweeping vistas of rocky California headlands and crashing waves in the film One-Eyed Jacks? Well, that’s what you get here. In spades.

Park at the visitor center, then run for 2 miles along the smooth, flat Bluff Trail, situated 50 to 100 feet above booming surf, jagged rocks, sea caves, isolated tide pools (including the best at Quarry Cove, about a mile from the trailhead, if you’re up for exploring) and, at the south end, weather-sculpted and picturesque Grotto Rock. Then turn and head back for as fine a little 4-mile out-and-back as you’ll ever run — or turn it into a 9-miler by picking up the shaded Coon Creek Trail (5 miles out-and-back) along a creek that serpentines through the park’s Irish Hills.

Another tasty menu choice, the 4.2-mile (round-trip) Islay Creek Trail follows a fire road past a 6-foot waterfall (at 1.1 miles) out to dilapidated, old Spooner Ranch barn.Not recommended for running (too rocky, too steep) but a dandy choice for a 4-mile up-and-back hike with some sandwiches and brownies in a fanny pack is the Valencia Peak Trail. At the 1,347-foot summit are sweeping 100-mile, 360-degree views of the whole Central Coast — views you also get at the apex of the more runner-friendly Oates Peak Trail (about 6 miles long).

Strap on a water bottle in Montana de Oro and, ideally, run with company. A group from the San Luis Distance Club — “wide range of paces, from 5:30 miles to 8:30s and slower,” says club coach Brian Waterbury (805-543-6750) — meets here Sunday mornings at 9 for long runs that usually take in Bluff and Coon Creek trails. SLDC members also meet Wednesday evenings at 5:30 for intervals at the Cal Poly track.

Popular for long runs is alternately shady/sunny Prefumo Canyon, which starts at the backside of Laguna Lake Park. The first 2.7 miles are paved, giving way to a dirt road that, at 5.4 miles, takes you up to 1,336 feet, where you’ll see a string of seven splendid peaks that stretch from SLO to Morro Bay. Turn here for 10.8 miles, or continue for just over 2 miles through a densely wooded canyon and head back for a 15-miler.

Surf-And-Sand Striding

“In San Luis Obispo you’re within 10 miles of two great beaches for running,” says Stan Rosenfield. “They’re flat, long and hard-packed at low tide.”From Morro Rock, that great granite gumdrop known as the “Gibraltar of the Pacific,” run the beach in one direction for up to 6 miles north to the pier at the town of Cayucos — the route of one of the area’s most delightful races. You’ll find parking, restrooms and water fountains at The Rock.

Just south of SLO is Pismo Beach (with parking, restrooms and water fountains), where you can run the sand south “for as long as most people would want to go,” says Stan Rosenfield. “The record for the longest time out is just under 4 hours.” If you don’t want to run that long, turn around at the mouth of the Santa Maria River, about 6 miles south of Pismo Beach.