Boeing 5K (10) – 2016

October 10, 2016

Today, I tied the 2nd best record for most consecutive Boeing 5Ks with 101.  Not sure if I can go after the overall record, as that is another year and a half of not missing any runs (or more if the event gets cancelled due to weather).

I felt pretty well, since it has been a couple of weeks since my 40 mile run at North Face.  Outbound I ran 12:30 and inbound I ran 11:30 and finished in 5th overall, with Dave Parsel nipping at my heels (he has hip problems, but it’s still an accomplishment to beat him).

Boeing 5K (9) – 2016

September 12, 2016

My 100th CONSECUTIVE Boeing 5K!  That’s crazy.  I still hold the third longest streak behind Nelson’s 101, and Peter Lew’s 120.  As long as there isn’t some rain delay or whatever, I will go as long as I am standing.

First mile was the fastest at 7:43, but just after the turnaround, I didn’t feel as good, so I walked a bit (but I can usually ramp up quickly) and managed mile 2 in 8:57, and then finished up in 8:05, for a net time of 24:35, which is precisely my exact time for my last race (albeit 3 miles instead of 3.1).

Boeing 5K (8) – 2016

August 8, 2016

I walked today, some with Raji and some with Andy Born.  My feet are still sore, but we broke an hour.

I leave this afternoon (basically as soon as I get home, I leave for the airport) to spend a week with my sister, Riva, in Dallas, visiting my nephews also.

Summer Nights 5K (3) – 2016

August 4, 2016

My right knee has been bugging me the last few weeks.  I already know that I have Runner’s Knee, and it pops a bit when I leave it bent for too long.  Mostly, it is extra sore when I am pounding it extra hard on pavement (trails or dirt feel better, mostly).

The third (and final for me (not going to Brea)) Summer Night is being held for the first time at Huntington Beach Central Park (where I have run dozens of races).  It is an interesting set-up because there is some major construction going on in an area where we would normally run, so instead of a really interesting loop, it is basically running out to the far end of the park (by the arboretum, and not by the horse and dog area that we regularly run in) and doing three loops of mostly the same thing and a lot of paved path.

I was running a bit late and ended up signing in to race at 6:27pm, with a 6:30pm start.  I basically pinned my number on AS I started the run.  There were not going to be a lot of AREC folks, but I knew Birthday Boy Mark Vishnevsky was going to be there, so I wanted to at least go by and say, “Hi.”  Instead of the 15-20 folks, there were 6 of us.  Still a lot of high schoolers, though.

I decided to run with my GPS watch, because it can tell me what my average pace per mile is AND my best pace within that mile… so if I slow down, I can see what my fastest pace is (probably when I ramp back up).

Mile 1, I cover in 7:39, and my best pace is 6:46.  I’m getting my feel for the course and also I am amidst a lot of young runners.  The one section of unfamiliar grass is VERY lumpy and I do almost trip a couple of times.

For Mile 2, I slow down a bit (walk a tad) and do 8:35 (best pace 6:29).

And for the last mile, I want to finish strong, though I don’t want to overdo it, as I have an ultramarathon on Sunday and a 6-hour drive to Oakland tomorrow.  So I do 9:15 (best pace 7:02 – probably the last 200 yards) and finish in 25:09, a little over 8:00 pace.

Mark comes in 4th overall in the race (best 5K EVER at age 36!).

Summer Nights 5K (2) – 2016

July 21, 2016

Weather has been in the 80s in the evenings and humid (for S. California).  There is a larger crowd today at Summer Nights, probably because the high schoolers either have started Cross Country training or are not out of town for 4th of July weekend.

I don’t mind running with a lot of teenagers, though it makes you feel somewhat slow because most of them have endless energy and also have trained to go hard for 3+ miles (whereas I can do decently fast for 3+ miles but can go consistently (or at least, ponderously) for 31+ miles).

I held my own for the first mile or so (that’s never a problem), clocking in at 7:35, but then I mixed in some walking.  This is when I got passed by Kevin McKee (who said, “Lookin’ good!” – Love the enthusiasm; I try to do that, too, but I don’t think I was ‘lookin’ good.’).

I tried to make sure I stayed ahead of the speedy AREC ladies and I did that, even though my 2nd mile was 9:41 and my third mile (1.1) was 10:18 (probably around 9:41 for the mile).

With my fast early mile, I was able to keep my overall pace under 9:00/mile and finish in 27:44 (5th in the 45-49 age group – the winner of which also went to Piedmont High School, Class of 1989, Drew Sells).

After I chugged a half liter of water, I doubled back to find Kathy Massanet (about a half-mile back) and walk-jogged in with her.

Boeing 5K (7) – 2016

July 11, 2016

All weekend I volunteered at the Santa Barbara 100M/100K.  It’s always so inspirational to watch people finish this race, because it is so difficult.  (I have run some similar courses in here and had mixed results.)  You think of Santa Barbara of having a temperate clime, but this is not the coast.

Things went better this year, logistically speaking.  Less confusion, better radio reporting, less running around with chicken heads chopped off.

I was up almost the entire time (36+ hours), so I don’t expect a great run this morning, but would like something comparable to last week’s 5K or 10K races.

First mile was 7:37 and second mile was 8:01.

For my third mile, since I was destined to finish under 8:00/mile pace, I slowed down a bit.  Why?  Because today is a prediction run and I had predicted 24:47 (sub-8:00 pace) and knew I would be less close to that unless I slowed down… so last 1.1 mile was in 8:54 and I finished in 24:35.

Summer Nights 5K (1) – 2016

July 7, 2016

Third race this week.  Just weird timing, I guess.

Summer Nights format changed a little bit this year, mostly because the running store that hosted it is no longer located on Carson Blvd., across from Heartwell Park, where we have been running it.

Last year, you got a couple of soft tacos at the end of the race, and this year, you are getting shaved ice.  (Hope it is hot after the runs!)  Also, last year, there were 3 runs, all in Heartwell Park.  This year, there are four runs, with two in Heartwell, one in Huntington Beach Central Park, and one in Brea (probably won’t attend that one).

There are a bunch of young people at this race, but not a ton.  You have to sublimate your desire to go out fast, because you probably won’t be able to stay with all of these folks at the pace you think you can manage.  My immediate goal today is to run the whole race (though I could probably walk a bit and still finish close to 8:00/mile) and not have the heat-induced increased heart-rate that freaked me out a couple of years ago.

My first mile (which we all agree was not entirely accurate) was 7:23, with the second mile in 8:27 (slightly long).  I get that it’s tough to put the miles in the right spots, but don’t we all have a GPS system to get it pretty close to accurate?

After getting passed by “Check-Out-My-Abs” Jesus Rodriguez a little earlier in the course, I could not manage enough to catch him back up, and finished about 40 second behind him in a respectable 24:43.  (Comparable to my first lap at La Palma, and that was on a road, and this is cross country.)

I enjoyed the Shaved Ice, but would prefer to have a soft taco instead.