May 13, 2019
A few weeks post Wild Wild West and my first run pushing it at Boeing. I still have on the knee brace (for my calf muscle strain). I’m not feeling as much of the sore pull on the muscle, but I think the brace is definitely affecting my gait.
As usual, it’s hard to get started from scratch after a week’s layoff, so I have to stop and walk on 8 separate occasions. However, when I am running, I go at a decent speed and manage a finish in 28:27.
April 8, 2019
Marisa and I are headed off to Asia tomorrow (somewhat planned the trip around the Boeing run). On Saturday, I did one final hash run and something weird happened… I slipped on a downhill section and while I didn’t fall, I felt a strong pull on a muscle behind my left leg. I think the shock of it made my blood pressure drop because I got super dizzy and could not stand up for about 20 minutes (people stayed with me and got me water and helped me get back to the start).
Yesterday, I went early to Kaiser Urgent Care and they determined that I may have pulled, strained, sprained, or tore a muscle in my leg, but that I didn’t break anything… so they gave me a knee brace, even though I didn’t do anything to my knee, but it gives me support at the spot of soreness, so I will use it as a crutch until I feel totally comfortable without it.
This month, I get to run with the group (albeit slowly with the brace). I finished in 38:39 which was a combination of jogging and running.
March 10, 2019
Wasn’t sure if the Dave Fier timing was a sure thing or not, so I went ahead and ran early for the 5K to make sure. My knees are still sore, but I ran pretty well, nearly negative splits (13:00 out, and 12:56 back).
When I got back, Dave Fier was there and said he would continue to come time us moving forward. It’s a really generous move.
February 11, 2019
Two days after my rainy ultra and one day after a snowy drive through the Grapevine, another Boeing 5K. It’s a ponderous race today for me, both because I am by myself (didn’t hear from Dave Parsel) and because I am basically walking. I finished in 47:57.
When I came back, Dave was there (sorry, I didn’t call, pal) and a guy was setting up a time clock and signing people in. I know this guy, Dave Fier. He says that moving forward he is planning to time the race for us. People only need to enter in their information, and he will assign numbers in order and we’ll keep our number until he stops timing. Dave Parsel is number one and I am number two.
Hopefully this works out, because I would rather run a 5K with people than run it and time it for everyone else.
December 10, 2018
Today is the first Boeing 5K that is not being timed by the Boeing Rec Center (now shuttered). Last month, the group was saying my record is secure because there won’t be any other runs, but Dave Parsel and I decided that we could keep the event going if the two of us met an hour early to do the run and then time everyone else (or take turns running first).
It wasn’t my best run (I had to stop and walk 5 times), especially because I am trailing only Dave Parsel, who is pretty fast even when he is hurting, but 28:16 is an okay time without the motivation of others.
November 12, 2018
Being two days post ultra, I am taking it extra easy, plus I have a number of blisters on my feet that make it difficult for me to move particularly fast. Still, 38:45 is a decent walking time (only 6 minutes off my walking PR!).
October 8, 2018
I got my wrist cast off a couple of weeks ago, but I am still nervous and not quite back to normal. A few days ago, I “paced” Alan at his 100K. Pacing consisted of walk/running with him until it got dark and then slogging by myself the remaining 13 miles (because I was less sure in shoes than Alan was in sandals).
Woke up today feeling poorly, so I started out slowly and then picked it up the second half (where I had a couple of ~90 second quarter miles) to finish in 24:55.
September 10, 2018
Today is Boeing consecutively run 5K #121 and the record!
Last month, I casually joked that only hospitalization would stop me from doing the run. Famously, as you may know, I once came directly from being released from the hospital to continue my streak.
Well, three weeks ago, I stumbled on a sprinkler head and fell face-first into the sidewalk, ripping my lip, banging my teeth (no structural damage there) and fracturing my wrist. Not hospitalization, per se, but pretty major.
I have been having trouble running regularly because the cast is heavy and I did bang up my sides in the fall as well, and running just makes it sort of worse.
The whole idea is to finish so I conservatively did 15 minutes out (about 2/3 speed) and 14:39 back (just under 30 minutes), and you know what? I felt okay.
Hopefully, I am getting the cast off next week.
August 13, 2018
After Skyline 50K, my sore knee (and hip, a bit) are still persistently sore. (Hope this goes away soon.) I managed 25:55 (11:45 out and 14:10 back – walked 5 separate times).
The more interesting thing about today is that it is my 120th Boeing 5K in a row (if there weren’t cancellations due to rain, this would be 10 consecutive years, every month), which ties the record held by Peter Lew (who encouraged me to go for it when I reached 100 over 2 years ago). Next month, barring hospitalization, I will break the record!
July 16, 2018
Today’s Boeing is on the third Monday this month. Sometimes this happens due to road resurfacing, raining, or in today’s case, the rec center facility which times us was closed last week and forced us to push it up one week to today.
My knee doesn’t feel great today and my shoulders are still achy from the intense-ish paddling at the Browne Rice Kayak Relay a few days ago.
I started out slowly and today was a day where the wind was in my face first and warm on the way back.
Historically, the Kayak 5K is about 5 days AFTER Boeing, so it’s probably not fair to compare times, which are usually slightly faster for Boeing (no sand). Despite the date change, my time ends up being about a minute faster, with a nice 24 second negative split on the return and a sub 8:00/mile average.
