RunFarArizona.com

2012-01-20T16:40:00.000-07:00

New location for blog...

2009-10-02T21:57:00.002-07:00

I will be updating over here as I can, but I will be doing most updating at http://runfaraz.wordpress.com/ as I am able to update it from my Blackberry and it is a cleaner format. Please check it out and tell fellow runners about the site.

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How To Increase Your Stride Length

2009-09-29T06:19:00.001-07:00

A good article on how to increase your stride length by a fellow Tweeter! Take a few minutes to read and you may learn an important item or two!

How To Increase Your Stride Length

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McDaniels, Dumervil, and Orton news conference

2009-09-22T16:04:00.000-07:00

Denver Broncos news conference after the Browns game.

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Flagstaff was well represented at the Imogene Pass Run

2009-09-22T15:33:00.001-07:00

A tough race that saw Flagstaff very well represented at the start and finish lines. Runners from Flagstaff took home 13 medals overall, very nice work everyone!

Click the link below for full story...
azdailysun.com Sports

Anton Krupicka training video

2009-09-21T16:46:00.002-07:00

How do you prepare for a 100 mile race? I have no clue, but ultra running sensation Anton Krupicka gives you a look inside his training (hint no more 200 mile weeks).

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Ryan Hall Philly video

2009-09-21T16:42:00.001-07:00

Here is a video of Ryan Hall before the Philly half marathon.

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Wet footprint test, not so fast!

2009-09-21T16:33:00.002-07:00

For years now the "wet footprint test (or just footprint test)" has been used to determine the correct shoe for each person. New studies show that may not be needed, or any other footprint test.

After using the footprint test and random distribution of shoes for no specific reason, the study found injuries to be equal among both groups. I have worn many different types of shoes, cushioned, stability, motion controlled (really don't like those though), and minimalist (Nike Free, Puma consesis, etc) and never had any injuries related to the shoes. Some may say that my lingering hip injury is related to shoes, but it is structural and muscular issues.

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Haile Gebrselassie won the real, -Berlin Marathon

2009-09-21T16:27:00.001-07:00

STARSTRUCK

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Coach Jack Daniels talks High School recruiting

2009-09-18T05:36:00.001-07:00

azdailysun.com Sports

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Africans fearful of IAAF changes - Universal Sports

2009-09-16T08:13:00.002-07:00

I dont really see the point in these changes other than to try and level the field somewhat, like golf courses "Tiger proofing" themselves trying to make it harder for Tiger Woods to win.

Africans fearful of IAAF changes - Universal Sports

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California native Brett Gotcher has surfed to the top of the running world since moving to Flagstaff.

2009-09-16T05:27:00.002-07:00

azdailysun.com Sports

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The immaculate deflection

2009-09-13T15:28:00.004-07:00

Video of the catch! ! ! ! !

Brandon Stokley, right place, right time!!! Lets go BRONCOS!!!

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Menthol improves performance in heat...or is it the brain?

2009-09-11T14:44:00.002-07:00

Another study on how your brain influences fatigue on your body. It is mental peeps.

Sports Science Update: Menthol Swilling Improves Exercise Performance In The Heat
Matt Fitzgerald

New study provides further proof that endurance fatigue is regulated by the brain.

Past research by Toby Mundel at Massey University in New Zealand has shown that cold fluids consumed during exercise in a hot environment improve performance more than warmer drinks. You might assume that cold drinks achieve this effect by keeping the body cooler. But there’s another possible explanation that Mundel explored in a new study.

In this new study, nine subjects rode stationary bikes to exhaustion at moderate intensity in a hot environment on two separate occasions. They were given a fixed amount of cool water to drink during both rides, but during one ride they were also given a menthol solution to swill and spit out every 10 minutes, while in the other they were given a placebo to swill and spit. Menthol, as you probably know, creates a perception of coolness on the tongue. Mundel wanted to see if swilling a menthol solution might improve endurance performance in the heat by essentially tricking the brain into thinking the body was cooler than it really was.

And guess what? It did. Eight of the nine subjects rode 9 to 12 percent longer in the menthol ride. While their body temperature was the same in both rides, the menthol ride felt easier to them.

This fascinating finding provides further evidence in support of the notion that the brain determines when fatigue occurs during exercise based on feedback signals from the body. The brain uses this information to predict how long exercise can continue before a catastrophic physiological breakdown (such as overheating) will occur and forcing the athlete to stop short of this point.

This effect is mediated on a conscious level through perception of effort. It is now understood that the feeling of fatigue is fatigue itself. This is why exercise performance can be enhanced through manipulations that affect the perception of effort without affecting any physiological parameters such as heart rate, blood lactate level, etc.

Published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology, Mundel’s new study is similar to previous work by Asker Jeukendrup, who showed that swilling and spitting out a carbohydrate solution enhances exercise performance by stimulating a reward center in the brain and thereby reducing perceived effort.

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So what do you do when the world champ Semenya 'is a hermaphrodite'?

2009-09-11T05:46:00.001-07:00

VIDEO: Semenya 'is a hermaphrodite'

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Registration lottery

2009-09-07T06:29:00.002-07:00

Think it is hard to get in your local marathon? Even a lottery marathon like Chicago or New York? Try the Tokyo marathon. Over 272,000 applied for 32,000 spots.

Thanks to Japan running news, for the news!

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Matt Tegenkamp prepares for the worlds

2009-09-06T07:15:00.003-07:00

Matt Tegenkamp trains then runs 12:58.56 for 5,000 meters, fourth American ever under 13:00,

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NAU sweeps Kyte Classic cross country titles

2009-09-06T07:12:00.000-07:00

azdailysun.com Sports

Pictures from my Denver trip...

2009-08-30T20:00:00.012-07:00

Invesco Field

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updates...

2009-08-30T19:35:00.008-07:00

Well, on the personal front...as I watch my Denver Broncos get killed by the Chicago Bears and Jay Whiner Cutler...

I am still suffering from hip/lower back pain caused by my Sacroiliac Joint Dysfunction. I am doing the exercises and stretches prescribed by my physical therapist as well as some good videos on You Tube. After bring to the physical therapist 2 times for this I felt that I had it under control, however after the San Diego Marathon I stopped doing the exercises and stretched and now that I have started to get somewhat serious about my running the pain is back as bad as ever. But I am serious about doing the Denver marathon or at least half marathon and I will keep doing what I need to do . I have found some stretches and exercises that really seem to help, and as soon as I can get Lyndsey up to pulling my right leg as hard as she can to try and snap my SI joint into place, I feel that I will be doing well. Right now if I keep it at 10:30 per mile or slower I feel ok, but faster or downhill will cause a real pain in the joint and lower back.
If I go back to Denver I will go on another Invesco Field tour and spend the day at the best brewery anywhere, Great Divide. Try the 15th anniversary, it is the best beer I have ever had.

Do you need proof that American can run with the worlds best? watch Ritz...

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Denver was a blast!

2009-08-24T15:10:00.002-07:00

We went to Denver for the weekend and had a great time, it was hard to come back. The next step is to find jobs for both of us. Speaking of Denver, here is a map of the marathon route.

Denver Marathon
Find more Runs in Denver, Colorado

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Burn Notice

2009-08-18T16:13:00.002-07:00

If you havent watched the show, do yourself a huge favor and watch this. It is the best show on TV, by far.

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Falls fail to deter Ortiz, 45, in Pikes Peak Marathon - The Denver Post

2009-08-18T06:55:00.002-07:00

Possibly the hardest marathon around, the Pikes Peak Marathon.

Falls fail to deter Ortiz, 45, in Pikes Peak Marathon - The Denver Post

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JW HARDY NAMED BOISE STATE HEAD TRACK AND FIELD / CROSS COUNTRY COACH - Boise State

2009-08-17T14:39:00.001-07:00

This could be a fairly big problem for NAU...

JW HARDY NAMED BOISE STATE HEAD TRACK AND FIELD / CROSS COUNTRY COACH - Boise State

Usain Bolt's 100 M record

2009-08-17T06:04:00.001-07:00

It is crazy to see when you consider that he is not at 100% due to a car accident a few months ago, and he is not at a sprinters peak age for growth. Can something in the 9.4's be possible? Eat those yams.

Bernard Legat is ready for Berlin

2009-08-16T09:12:00.002-07:00

Putting the disappointment of the Beijing Olympics out of his mind is not an option for American distance runner Bernard Lagat.

azdailysun.com Sports:
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Lomong moves on in the 1500 in Berlin

2009-08-16T09:07:00.001-07:00

Former NAU All-American Lopez Lomong advanced in the preliminary rounds of the 1,500 meter race at the 2009 IAAF World Championships Saturday in Berlin.

azdailysun.com Sports

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Flagstaff's Paige Higgins to run World Championships marathon

2009-08-12T16:03:00.001-07:00

Flagstaff's Higgins to run World Championships marathon

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Getting old is not cool...

2009-08-12T14:43:00.001-07:00

Getting’ old sucks.

Okay, so the pain in my hip and lower back has returned and is just as painful and bothersome as ever. I have done my stretching and for the most part kept the exercises going, even joining the gym when it opened up.

So I am now in a dilemma. Do I go back to physical therapy again, and go through 6-8 weeks of therapy which will place me in an area where doing the Denver marathon or even half marathon will not be possible, and I will be way behind if I decide to run the PF Chang’s marathon in January. Or do I move ahead and run very slowly (making me an even slower runner) and try to keep some level of fitness and endurance built up hoping that things will start to fix themselves with continues stretches, exercise, and using my new state of the art ice/heat machine?

After a few days of reflection and coming to grips with the reality of my mood and attitude have sucked big time lately, I guess that I will bite a bullet and go out running slowly. My past PT’s have told me that when it flairs up to run slower and in fact running will have a positive effect on the injury and will strengthen and fix the problem. The only thing I don’t have access to is the ultrasound machine to run over the area a few times per week. That seemed to work magic last time as I felt ready to run after being worked on last time, even if I came in with severe pain. Maybe I can “borrow” the one at the PT’s office inside the gym. Go into Michael Westen mode…

Anyway, so that is my plan. Becoming a runner that must swallow my pride, forgo speed work and avoid long extended hills and take things nice and slow. It bothers me to some extent as I don’t like the idea of training just so I can finish an event, but that is where I am at. Maybe later on I will feel well enough to ramp up the speed and hills to really push myself and see how much progress I can make.

If there are any PT’s out there in my area or that work in a mobile environment, think I can train hard while receiving treatment, and work with insurance, give me a call!

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2009-08-09T09:19:00.004-07:00

It dawned on me that I have been slacking on updating the upcoming races here in Arizona, and with the summer heat starting to go away (see I can be a positive thinker!) and the best winter running weather in the country coming up soon I will update the schedule of races.

9/6/09 8:00 AM 39th Annual ARR Jerome Hill Climb 4.6 miles, pretty much straight up. Maybe if you are lucky, Maynard from Tool will be there (I doubt it as they are on tour). He was a cross country runner at West Point you know. And he lives there.

9/13/09 7:17 AM Arizona Road Racers I-Did-A-Green-Run
10k Run, 5k Run, 1 mile Fun Run/Walk Not sure about the time, must have some significance.

9/26/09 7:00 AM Moon Valley Grasshopper Bridge 5K 5K Run, 5K Walk
Fairly good competition at this event.

10/3/09 8:00 AM Rim Country Challenge Half Marathon Like altitude? This one is for you. http://www.rimcountrychallenge.com

10/10/09 Solstice Mountain trail run. Very fun, very high altitude!!! http://www.natra.org/

10/10/09 7:15 AM Cactus ChaCha Trail Runs 7 and 3 mile trail runs, great breakfast burritos at the finish. I will be there this year as I prepare for the Denver marathon. http://www.cactuschacha.com/

10/31/09 Javelina Jundred 100 miles, on Halloween. Have fun!!! www.javelinajundred.com

12/6/09 7:30 AM Runners Den/Fiesta Bowl Half Marathon and 5K Good race that usually draws several elite runners from Flagstaff to town, and is a good tune up for the P.F. Chang’s Rock and Roll Marathon. http://www.raceplaceevents.com/event.php?event=401003

12/20/09 8:00 AM 15th Annual Arizona Road Racers Desert Classic 30K, 5K and 30K Relay 30K Run, 5K Run, 30K Relay Run Great event, give it a try!

1/24/10 6:00 AM Carlsbad Marathon & Half Marathon Full marathon Run, Half Marathon Run Not in Arizona, but I love Carlsbad. I will live there some day.

2/6/10 Sedona Marathon. I WILL be there this year in my adopted home. www.sedonamarathon.com

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50 iPhone apps for runners

2009-08-09T09:01:00.005-07:00

I recently stumbled across an article that discussed 50 iPhone(touch) apps for runners. While some look good and are well known, several others made me scratch my head and wonder..."why?".

Linky poo...

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Lactate testing made easy

2009-07-30T03:09:00.001-07:00

Link to article, you're welcome.

How Fit Are You? Lactate Test Made Easy

ScienceDaily (May 12, 2009) — Performance athletes need to know their blood lactate level. It indicates how much lactic acid has collected in their blood as a result of physical exertion and enables conclusions to be drawn about their fitness. Professional athletes therefore regularly have to attend performance diagnosis sessions.

As they pedal a cycle ergometer at various levels of exertion, a doctor takes blood samples from an earlobe. A special device then measures the concentration of lactate in the blood.

Such scenarios will soon be a thing of the past. Using a miniaturized measuring system, performance and leisure athletes will in future be able to monitor their lactate readings themselves – including during training. Normally the analytical devices are quite big and cost several thousand euros. “We have found a way of miniaturizing the measurement system so that it can be accommodated in an ear clip. The results could be radioed by the ear clip to a training wristwatch or a cellphone,” says Thomas van den Boom, group manager at the Fraunhofer Institute for Microelectronic Circuits and Systems IMS in Duisburg. An electrochemical method is used to measure the lactate value.

In a chemical reaction, an enzyme triggers a redox flow from the lactate which can be measured using electrodes. The measurement system, which could be installed for example in an ear clip, consists of two microchips: the innovative nanopotentiostat fits on a chip measuring just two by three millimeters and costs less than one euro. “The second chip incorporates microelectrodes which we have developed for this purpose and which we can couple with the nanopotentiostat,” explains van den Boom. One of the microelectrodes is coated with a thin layer of gel containing the enzyme. There are altogether three microelectrodes on the chip, which are activated by the nanopotentiostat. Two serve the purpose of electrochemical measurement while the third keeps the electrochemical potential constant end thus ensures a stable voltage.

The engineers can coat the electrode with different enzymes so that, apart from lactate measurement, various other analyses can be performed in the blood or other electrolytes. The advantage is that the electrodes are very small and cheap – and the analyses can be carried out in a mobile environment. A first demonstrator of the nanopotentiostat for lactate measurement (without earclip) has already been produced.

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Pearl Izumi ads

2009-07-30T03:00:00.005-07:00

I like these, but at the same time hate these.

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Crazy 1 man band video

2009-07-07T16:23:00.004-07:00

visitor map

2009-07-07T15:40:00.001-07:00

Good to see some diversity on the visitor map.

Rounding into shape

2009-07-07T15:11:00.006-07:00

After a few weeks of working out with the free weights at the gym I finally feel like my body has taken to the added tissue damage caused by working out and running. I have not been running far (a few miles, 6 max) as I have been feeling exhausted and my lower back is starting to get sore again and I dont want to end up with 3 more months of physical therapy. I need to get back out on the roads as I have a hard time running on the treadmill at the gym. The spin classes have been good as they get my heart rate right up to near 100%. Between adding strength and spin to target both slow and fast twitch muscles I think this could be my most productive training program ever and I should see some good gains as the times drop. now if I could just get that diet under control.

Good to see Ramzi's "B" sample tested positive for drugs as well. Get the cheaters out.

Former NAU alum and runner Lopez Lomong qualified for the US world team for Berlin this summer. Props to him and good luck!

Anyone else tired of the Michael Jackson news? If a president dies there is not this much hoopla.

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Deena Kastor interview

2009-07-03T05:54:00.004-07:00

Here is a link to an interview Deena did with the NY Times regarding diet for an elite marathoner. She says that she eats a lot of calories, but does not count her calories due to her running 2 times a day 6 days a week and once on Sundays.

Linky thing

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Scenic Sedona

2009-06-29T18:14:00.003-07:00

A video from my favorite running grounds, and the place I will be buried someday.

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Heat training for runners part...3?

2009-06-28T07:33:00.005-07:00

I was going through some old threads on letsrun when I came across this post from Dr. Daniels related to heat training and heart rate. I have head a lot of people talking about how bad their running is in the summer, and have felt the effects myself, so I thought that I would throw this up here as food for thought.

"You are experiencing one of the flaws of getting too dependent on HR. The same VO2, same intensity of effort on the total body as it relates to your running, and blood lactate accumulation will be associated with different HR, which is quite dependent upon the weather, as you have experienced. If you follow HR then you are focusing you interest on HR stress and not on total stress. Heat will slow everyone down in the marathon -- some more than others because of how they are affected, individually. So, you don't have to back down your pace becasue your HR is higher than usual. Keep in mind that the work your heart does is a function of the resistance against which it pumps and the force of each stroke. When blood volume goes down, so usually does blood pressure and so does stroke volume. So even though you may have a faster HR the heart muscle may not be working any harder -- faster per beat, but less work per beat. As long as you are healthy, and it would seem you are, then go more by feel than HR. What heart-rate monitors are good at is they tell you how fast your heart is beating; pretty simple"

And here is another post from a different thread:

Some things to note about the heat and humidity?

The first thing is dehydration. You lose water and you body can't function correctly. Ph values get out of whack and heart rate increases do to lower stroke volume.

The second is that your body cannot cool itself in humid conditions because the air is already saturated. The desired effect of sweating is for the sweat to evaporate and cool you upon the phase change to a gas. That doesn't happen in humid conditions.

Your body reacts to heat training by increasing blood plasma volume to have more stored water for cooling.

Training in the heat helps you train better in the heat but not necessarily run faster.

Heat will limit both the duration and intensity of any given aerobic run.

A third big variable that people over look is that training in the heat is that it is basically the same as training at altitude. There is less oxygen in the air on a hot day. There is even less air on a hot, humid day. This is a fact. Airplanes need more runway to take off on hot days, and golf balls driven further from the tee because there is simply less air.

At first glance you might say aha! Altitude training that's great!

But altitude effects are due to a constant stimulus. Much like gravity is a 24 hours stimulus?the same is true for altitude. So in true altitude you are literally training in your sleep. But in the heat the stimulus disappears the minute you step into air conditioning. So in the heat you get the worst effects of altitude and none of the benefits.

I?ve run the numbers before and figured that a hot humid day (sea level, 85F, 90% humidity) is about the same as a cool morning in Denver (5200 ft, 35F,90% humidity) as far as oxygen content is concerned.

Figuring the heat part is easy. Oxygen content is an inverse linear relation the temperature. Higher Temp = Lower Oxygen.

For the humidity you need to consult the non linear psychrometric charts to determine thermodynamic properties of moist air. This is necessary to assess the humidity ratio as a function of temperature. Humidity ratio is simply an absolute measure of how much water vapor is taking up space in the air. It is not the same a relative humidity. Changes in relative humidity mean very little in cool temperatures because the air cannot hold water. But on warm days, relative humidity means everything because vapor is able to HOG up space in the air much more. So it is easy to feel the difference between 90% and 50% humidity on a warm day. But on a cool day it is not as easy to detect. The bottom line is that on warm days high relative humidity means far less oxygen.

Driving pressure makes a difference. Oxygen content has a direct linear relation to pressure. Higher pressure = Higher Oxygen. Higher barometric pressure can drive more oxygen into your lungs. High pressure occurs after a cold front passes through. Low pressure occurs during rain?or at altitude. As you go higher there is less pressure. This is why the captain pressurizes the cabin in an airplane. It is also the dominating effect on oxygen at altitude.

So we are really looking at 3 critical variables for oxygen content: Temperature, Humidity, and Pressure.

An optimal day would be cool and crisp at sea level with high barometric pressure aloft (cold front).

The worst day would be hot humid with at altitude with low barometric pressure aloft (storm system etc.).

A fourth issue to be concerned about is the actual sun?s rays hitting you body. This allows you body to ?cook?. Similar to a green house?the sun?s energy hits your skin as radiation and then it converted to heat...but your body can?t dissipate it because your sweat can?t evaporate. So your core temperature rises dramatically. A warm 85F in the sun is not the same as 85F in the shade or low intensity rays. So seek shade whenever possible. Don?t use oil sun screen either or you will really cook. One way to increase cooling/evaporation ability is to run where there is a breeze. But in the summer this can be tough to find.

Gases such as oxygen are not able to be absorbed/soluble as higher temperatures. This could affect the diffusion and transport process of oxygen through the lungs to red blood cells?or other areas in demand if you are over heated.

The bottom line is that if you are training for volume then heat is not optimal. The other issued is velocity. In any quality effort beyond 5 minutes length you really cannot take the time seriously in the heat. It means nothing. So you must train more by "feel" in the heat on quality days. Eventually that becomes a problem because especially near race time, hitting correct velocities is critical from a neuromuscular standpoint.

You must also train slower in the heat even on easy runs so your average velocity drops too. That's not good either. Perceivably if you try and hold to the same faster paces you could you on cool days, then you could slow up recovery too. I've seen people use heart monitors in the heat with some success to keep easy days easy...but the pace sucks.

Repetition and short speed sessions work out just fine in the heat. Just stay hydrated.

So people in cool climates are able to train more volume, at a higher average velocity and recover better. Sounds like a good deal doesn't it?

esmoke

Bottom line for best performance...move to San Diego. Or Bolder or Flagstaff. But probably San Diego.

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Northland Hospice 5k/10k run news article

2009-06-28T05:48:00.000-07:00

An article on the Northland Hospice 5k/10k run.

azdailysun.com Sports

Gaspin' in the Aspen story

2009-06-21T08:20:00.001-07:00

Gaspin' in the Aspen run test runners' endurance, strength

By DANIEL BERK
Sun Sports Staff
Sunday, June 21, 2009

After he took first place in the 15k at the Gaspin' in the Aspen run at the Flagstaff Nordic Center, Rob Krar hung out at the finish line for as long as possible.

"Anybody who completes this course deserves a big pat on the back," Krar said. "This is a very, very difficult course. You start out at 8,000 feet and the race just gets harder and harder as you go through. "It's no joke up there."

According to the runners, the Gaspin' in the Aspen, the third race in the Blue Cross Blue Shield Summer Running Series, is the most difficult race in the series.

Not only is the race at an extra 1,000 feet of elevation, it's a 100 percent off-road trail with wood chips, pine cones, branches and leaves dumped throughout the course.

"You have to be exceptionally careful when you're up there," 5K winner Ryan Schmidt said. "You have to pay attention to every step you take. There's so many things out there, one bad step can cost you the entire race.

"This trail has everything you want. It's difficult, it's fun to run and the atmosphere up here is a lot of fun."

Krar finished more than a minute ahead of the second place finisher in the 15k, Zachary Thomas. Krar finished in 54 minutes, 50 seconds, while Thomas finished in 56:02. Vince Sherry took third, finishing in 56:39.

On the women's side, Sara Wagner won her third straight race in the summer running series. Wagner finished the 15k in 1:09.28. Michelle Wesson was the second female finisher at 1:13.11.

Both of the races before the Gaspin' in the Aspen were 5k and 10k. However, in order to add diversity to the series, the race organizers throw in a 15k at the Nordic Center and a half marathon at the end of the series.

"It gives us a chance to give the runners a mix of distances," NATRA director and race timer Neil Weintraub said. "With all of the obstacles up there, it almost becomes like a steeplechase, especially at the end."

In the 5k race, Flagstaff resident Ryan Schmidt won his second race of the summer, finishing in 18:22. Ryan Stevens and Jeff Organ took second and third, finishing in 19:08 and 19:48 respectively.

Jennifer McCarthy was the top female finisher at 22:20. Hannah Colter was second at 23:26.

For Krar, the race was an opportunity to help him train for the TransRockies Challenge he'll be participating in later in the summer. There, over seven days, Krar and a teammate will mountain bike over 113 miles in several stages.

"For me, I've really been training for the TransRockies and we really haven't done any speed work," Krar said. "Today's race was a perfect opportunity to get some speed work done in a really tough environment.

"I've missed a couple of the races this summer, but there was no way I was going to miss this one. A race like this really reminds me why I'm so lucky to live in Flagstaff."

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back in the saddle...for now.

2009-06-14T14:21:00.004-07:00

I had my first run since the marathon today. It was a decent run, about 4 miles that I probably went out a little fast on, but once the initial kinks got worked out I felt pretty good. I quickly came to realize that the heat sucks when running. After being in Carlsbad and San Diego where the weather is absolutely awesome, coming back home where it is 85 degrees at 8 AM was a real slap in the face. But it is reality and I must deal with it. After all, it can only make me a disciplined runner...right?

I keep waiting for the new Mountainside Fitness Peoria to open up, it has been delayed a few times, now it is supposed to open on the 27th. I think that adding in some free weights, spin classes, and core work classes will help to take my running up a notch.

With all of the happiness, I will be out of action running wise for about a week (if all goes well) as I am having a "minor" surgical procedure on Friday. I am not supposed to pick up anything over 10 pounds for 3 days and no running for at least a week. I will try to be back at it in 3-5 days.

It will be good to run a program at full intensity and as it is written. I dont think that I will be running afraid to get re-injured anymore as I am feeling pretty good and survived my comeback race.

I was going to add some links to recent races in Flagstaff, but dont have th etime today.

Anyway...later!

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Article about Flagstaff runners and team Altius

2009-06-07T08:29:00.000-07:00

azdailysun.com Outdoors

Its done

2009-06-04T06:32:00.001-07:00

The marathon is over and somehow I finished it. It was a very strange event as despite my training, driving to San Diego, going to the expo and everything else associated with the race, it really didn’t hit me that I was going to be running this race until I was standing in the corral and the announcer stated that the race would start in 3 minutes.

The expo was really nothing special this year; I assume that has a lot to do with the economy. Vendors were there, but in much smaller ways. Shoe companies that had big displays in the past were now down to about half the size they usually have, and the expo discount that is applied to the shoes and gear was minimal at best. But it was still good to see some new products and events. I did purchase I Halo visor which I must say did a great job of funneling the sweat away from my eyes and to the side of my head.

The weather was good, it was overcast and cool with a very light drizzle which caused some slippery road conditions but it was very doable. Due to injuries and the car wreck, it had been 2 years since I last ran a marathon which was the San Diego RNR so it was nice to be back here running again-almost like a homecoming of sorts. It was nice to know what was coming especially the long hill at Balboa Park, while at times it was good to know what was coming, at other times I was wondering “where in the world is the next mile marker, I must have passed it already”.

I really enjoyed the first half of the race, I kept my pace slowed down despite feeling like
I could have let it go out faster-I have learned this the hard way in the past. I also had to take a pit stop at mile 11. I kept telling myself that feeling like I had to stop would eventually go away, which it usually does, but this time it didn’t. So that added about 3-4 minutes to my time. When I got to 13.1 miles I was about 2 minutes over my “ideal” finishing time which I really didn’t think would happen, but if I was able to keep this pace while feeling good I could pick it up the last 6 miles and get, if not beat, my pre-race best case scenario.

This however, did not happen. About mile 18 I ingested too many calories (Roctane Gel, Cytomax drink, water, Accelerade drink I had with me, and orange slices that a nice neighborhood was handing out to everyone. They must have had 50 cases of oranges cut up, very cool of them. At around mile 19 my stomach started to cramp up. I have never had problems eating or drinking whatever I wanted while running so I didn’t think this would be an issue. It took about a mile until I was able to slowly run, but I had to lean forward to keep my stomach in one piece. The forward lean caused my back to hurt, and then my hamstrings and calves started to cramp. I have never not finished a race I have started, but I had to seriously convince myself to keep going as I really wanted to go to the aid tent at mile 21 and give it up.

I continued on by slowly running and a lot of walking. When it dawned on me that I was not going to be anywhere near the times I wanted, I decided to try and change my mindset and enjoy the race (as much as I could considering). I tried to take in all of the sights, attempted to thank every volunteer on the course, high-fived as many of the kids who were on the sidewalks looking to high-five the runners. In the end it was a very enjoyable way to experience parts of San Diego.

THEN…with the overcast sky and winds my soaked clothing started to chill me to the bone. When I saw my wife at mile 26 she said that my face was a white as it could be, she knew immediately that I was not doing well. With about .2 miles to go a guy was running by told me that I could do it and to run with him and a couple of other guys who were also struggling for whatever reason. We ran together and all finished the race “running’.

All I wanted then was the tinfoil blanket to wrap up in like a baked potato and warm me up. The finishing area was set up so that the sheets were the very last thing you got before leaving the area, which I know they did so the runners kept moving after finishing and did not have all of the blood in their legs and intestines rush to the lower intestines and cause the famous end of race puking. But I really needed that blanket.

So despite the fact that I finished 55 minutes slower than my ideal time which I thought I was going to get, the fact that I kept going and did not give up was probably better for me than if I would have finished 30 minutes faster. It showed me that I was able to pull myself together and gut out a finish. Now for my next marathon I have full confidence that I can get my ideal time, not only that I think that I can beat it by 15 or so minutes. You can do great things if you believe in the power within yourself.

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IMG00098-20090529-1443.jpg

2009-05-29T14:44:00.000-07:00

Sent from my BlackBerry Storm

IMG00094-20090529-1333.jpg

2009-05-29T13:34:00.000-07:00

Sent from my BlackBerry Storm

azdailysun.com Sports

2009-05-17T14:58:00.000-07:00

Winners from the first Summer Series race in Flagstaff.

azdailysun.com Sports

IMG00083-20090503-0748.jpg

2009-05-07T13:12:00.000-07:00

Sent from my BlackBerry Storm

No more MCSO depot marathon finshes...

2009-05-07T13:10:00.002-07:00

I was finally able to find out why the RNR San Diego will no longer finish at the MCSO recruiting depot. Basically the depot is going to undergo renovations which will make it impossible to end the races there. The future course is supposed to be unveiled by the day after the marathon this year. Guesses are that the race will finish at Qualcom (or whatever it is called) in the future. Here is an article I found about it.

Rock 'n' Roll Marathon to end MCRD run
By Don Norcross Union-Tribune Staff Writer

2:00 a.m. March 19, 2009

The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon will no longer finish at the Marine Corps Recruit Depot after this year's race on May 31 because of impending barracks expansion at the base.

A decision has not been made about where the race will finish beginning in 2010, although Qualcomm Stadium has been mentioned as a possibility.

“We don't have that many options,” said Kari Logan, the Rock 'n' Roll Marathon event manager. “Not every neighborhood can host 20,000 participants.”

MCRD has served as the race's finish since 2001. The Rock 'n' Roll Marathon started in 1998.

Logan said the finish is “pretty vital. That's where everything culminates. We need to determine where the finish is, then determine the rest of the course.”

Logan said race officials are hoping to maintain the core of the 26.2-mile course, which starts in Balboa Park, heads downtown, continues on state Route 163, goes west on Friars Road and loops Mission Bay.

“We have a beautiful city and love to showcase it,” she said.

Logan said organizers hope to determine the 2010 course by June 1, 2009.

In a change to this year's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon, 400 four-person relay teams will be allowed to enter the race. The participants must run distances ranging from 4.9 miles to 8 miles. The cost is $300 per team.

Logan said entries for this year's race are down “a little bit” and that the relay is a way to increase participation.

She said the concept is also a way for non-marathoners to be exposed to the 26.2-mile experience.

“It's like a test drive,” she said. “So many people are intimidated by the marathon. This way they can see how fun the running experience can be.”

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Getting close...

2009-05-05T19:51:00.002-07:00

It is getting close. Less than 30 days until the San Diego RNR!!! I am not really where I want to be training wise, but am ahead of where I thought I would be just a few weeks ago. It’s going to be hard training this week as the low temperature is going to be in the low to mid 70’s, with highs over 100. At least San Diego will be low of about 65 and a high of about 72. Perfect. I really wish that I could move my family there, but it isn’t going to happen anytime soon. Or Colorado or Northern Arizona (anywhere cooler than this blast furnace which doesn’t even get the awesome monsoon storms in the summer anymore due to ambient temperature being higher due to so much concrete and steel from buildings, parking lots, etc. Plus wind flow has been altered over the last 20 years by construction. But that is a topic for the “Build Far Arizona blog). And yes I know that the grass isn’t always greener on the other side.

When I get to 2 weeks out from the race I am going to cut my caffeine consumption down to zero. Hopefully I will be able to maintain proper hydration and relax the strain on my Central Nervous System which should lead to more recovery and a heightened sense of relaxation prior to the race. I have decided to wear the Saucony Pro Grid Paramount shoes for the marathon. They are feeling by and far superior to the Asics Gel Kinetic (either pair). The Black and grey Kinetics seem to be stiffer and less cushioned than the red and white pair, so they are being relegated to shorter runs and weekend wear. I really like they looks of the shoes, but it is the performance that counts. Also, why is it that every pair of Asics I have doesn’t keep small rocks, sand, pebbles, etc. from getting in them? I tie them as tight as I can stand if I know I will be running in the desert areas, but still, every time I get rocks and san din them. It is a real pain.

My desert running areas are being taken away, bit by bit. First the Loop 303 Freeway is being extended out past Vistancia which will take it right across one of my favorite areas; I can already see the tractors and front loaders getting closer and closer. So I won’t be able to run through there during the very, very lengthy construction process and once it is done there will be a freeway going right through it. Secondly there is a lot of land out that way which is owned by a rancher. He is apparently getting annoyed by the ATC drivers who are destroying the area with their vehicles as well as leaving trash all over out there (mostly beer cans and bottles). So the not so Jolly Rancher has fenced and gated a lot of his land for the horses and cows, but these jokers keep breaking the locks and chains so they can get their ATC through there. Now he is going to improve the gates and fences around the areas as well as get the police more involved out there and get private security on the weekends. I hope they don’t kick me out, but it is marked no trespassing so who knows.

I would really like to get more involved with the FCA Endurance group out here, but have not had the opportunity to get out with them to train. Plus a lot of what the local group does seems to be triathlon related which I am not up to…yet.

Speaking of triathlons, you can really see the influence of the new ownership of Elite Racing and their preference towards tri’s. On the San Diego Rock And Roll Marathon website there is a listing of the triathlon groups with the highest numbers of members registered for the race. Not running or marathon groups, but tri groups. They are also giving away Garmin GPS units in a contest, but they are the new waterproof model that is designed for triathletes. Lastly they are going to change the San Diego course next year to include a half marathon and possibly a 10K in order to run a concurrent triathlon that will use the marathon course for the run portion of the tri. It will be interesting to see how the other rock and roll events will be altered to include triathlons with or in them. The expo will be interesting too. I want to see how many running exhibitors there will be compared to triathlon exhibitions. To me it is sad to see the wholesale changes to the San Diego race as it was the first RNR event and has always been a full marathon only. How does that song go…If I could keep time (catch time?) in a bottle…or something like that. Oh well.

Here are some upcoming races in the Phoenix area…

5-30-09 Devons run 5K http://www.arizonaroadracers.com/Calendar/DevonsRunFlyer.pdf

6-3-09 First Annual National Running day!!! http://www.runningday.org/

6-6-09 Run for the creeks 7 and 3 mile races. Prescott AZ. http://www.prescottcreeks.org/

6-20-09 Gaspin’ in the Aspen 15K and 5K Flagstaff AZ http://www.google.com/calendar/event?eid=YzcxMmVhaTJwZzliOXB1cjAwM2cxOTEzOWMgbmF0cmFuZWlsQG0&ctz=America/Phoenix

8-9-09 Oraivi 8K Footrace and 2 Mile Fun Run and Walk Oraibi, Arizona Hopi Reservation Oraivi, AZ Juwan Nuvayokva 928-738-0163

9-6-09 The 39th Annual Jerome Hill Climb (bring your oxygen mask). http://www.arizonaroadracers.com/

9-26-09 Flagstaff Marathon Very beautiful, elevational difficulty = +7
http://www.google.com/calendar/event?eid=ZTJ2ZTZmNWFibDdodjZxMDc0cjk4aTNrcjQgbmF0cmFuZWlsQG0&ctz=America/Phoenix

One last thing. I picked up a Garmin 405 with the heart rate monitor at REI for $259 and it has a $50 mail in rebate right now. I really like it, but the touch bezel takes some real getting used to. More on the 405 to come…

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Getting better!

2009-04-29T18:47:00.001-07:00

My leg/hip/back has been feeling a lot better lately, it is almost like getting back out and going for longer runs has kicked everything back to where it needed to be. That and a lot of stretching and yoga.

I am trying to keep an eye on this swine flu deal. I really don’t want to be in San Diego so close to the border if this situation is only going to get worse over the next few weeks. I wonder if it does get worse will the race be canceled?

I really don't have much to add or change today, I am using the Windows Live Writer for the first time. We will see how well this works.

Foothills Sports Medicine is starting its summer running program/group beginning this Saturday. Contact me if you are interested and I can put you in touch with the right people.

Anyone else addicted to the Techno Viking???

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My right leg died...

2009-04-22T17:32:00.004-07:00

My right leg is killing me at this moment. I have stretched throughout the day, and have used the foam roller once I got home. I iced it last night and am icing it now, but the pain is really bad. My right hamstring is very tight which I think is making matters worse. It almost feels like when my piriformis was causing sciatic nerve problems in my right leg a few months ago, but nothing is helping. I hope that it gets better by morning as I have a 9 mile marathon pace run in the morning. Ibuprofen doesn't even help. The pain is centered in my right calf, just below the outer hamstring tendon. It is so tender that applying any pressure t the area causes severe pain. It sucks.

Family went to a Diamondbacks game last night where I was awarded with a "free vacation" to Hawaii. It is one of those time share deals, os I am not going to bother with it. They made this big deal out of it too, coming up to my row and yelling out my name like I had really won some big deal through the team or something. I told a friend about it and he said that I should drive there. I gave it some thought, then decided to see what Google maps would tell me to do if I was diving. Here are the results. (Click the link for a larger map to see the turn by turn directions and check out # 17).

View Larger Map

Not too bad if you have 15 days travel each way.

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great Ryan Hall video

2009-04-15T15:51:00.001-07:00

I always get inspired seeing videos of Ryan training and running. He always keeps his faith first and formost. Filmed and produced by Josh Cox.

Need a running group?

2009-04-09T17:32:00.009-07:00

I have been told that Foothills Sports Medicine is going to be launching their new summer running program, so if you live in the North Peoria/Glendale areas give Jan Howard a call at 602-301-9327 for more info (dates, location, pricing, etc.) One great thing about training with Foothills is that if any injuries come up, you have access to the physical therapists right away and they are very experienced with runners.

Also, if you are in the market for shoes, enter the code “runfaraz” at Running Company Shoes for nice discount.

If you haven’t yet registered for the San Diego RNR, price goes up $10 on April 18th. Registration page...

Also code “SENDOFF” was good for $15 off, I don’t know if it is still active or not.

Big weekend of running for me, I will hit 26 miles total between Saturday and Sunday. Sunday is Easter and family is coming over, so perhaps they won’t mind my snoring on the couch while kids search for eggs.

Here is a new Japanese running site (In English), I will be there for the Tokyo Marathon-one of these days. I do have a copy of Japanese for dummies, and that is me.

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Today's training

2009-04-02T18:33:00.004-07:00

Today I got in 7 miles at marathon pace. It was 83 degrees and windy, overall not too bad, except my schedule called for 8 miles. I needed to get home and pick up my daughter from Drama club practice.

The rest of the week is:
Friday 5 or 6 miles
Saturday 8 or 10
Sunday 10 (recovery week after 15 last Sunday)
Monday 5 or 8
Tuesday speed work
Wednesday REST!

I am a bit miffed by the Jay Cutler trade, I didnt think he would go anywhere. Kinda upset, kinda happy. Time will tell.

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Perfect running pace

2009-03-30T06:24:00.002-07:00

I came across an article that has discovered the perfect running pace for males and females. What the article doesn't say is how far this pace is good for. Anyone have the actual article and how far the runners went?

Perfect Running Pace Revealed
LiveScience.com

Most regular runners can tell you when they reach that perfect equilibrium of speed and comfort. The legs are loose, the heart is pumping and it feels like you could run at this pace forever.

Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison now have an explanation for this state of running nirvana, and we can thank our ancestors and some evolutionary biology for it.

For years, it has been thought that humans have a constant metabolic energy rate. It was assumed that you would require the same total energy to run one mile, no matter if you ran it in 5 minutes or 10 minutes. Even though your energy burn rate would be higher at faster speeds, you would get there in half the time.

Turns out, however, that each person has an optimal running pace that uses the least amount of oxygen to cover a given distance. The findings, by Karen Steudel, a zoology professor at Wisconsin, and Cara Wall-Scheffler of Seattle Pacific University, are detailed in latest online edition of the Journal of Human Evolution.

Steudel's team tested both male and female runners at six different speeds on a treadmill while measuring their oxygen intake and carbon dioxide output. As expected, each runner had different levels of fitness and oxygen use but there were ideal speeds for each runner that required the least amount of energy.

Overall, the optimal speeds for the group were about 8.3 mph (about a 7:13 minutes per mile) for males and 6.5 mph (9:08 min/mile) for females.

The most interesting finding: At slower speeds, about 4.5 mph (13 min/mile), the metabolic efficiency was at its lowest. Steudel explains that at this speed, halfway between a walk and a jog, the runner's gait can be awkward and unnatural.

"What that means is that there is an optimal speed that will get you there the cheapest," Steudel says.

So, why is a zoology professor studying running efficiency? Steudel's previous work has tried to build a theory of why our early ancestors evolved from moving on four limbs to two limbs, also known as bipedalism. She has found that human walking is a more efficient method of getting from point A to point B than on all fours. It might also have been an advantage for hunting.

This latest research could offer some more clues of how we moved on to running. Steudel explains, "This is a piece in the question of whether walking or running was more important in the evolution of the body form of the genus Homo."

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Deutscher Rundfunk interview with Jesse Owens during Olympic Games 1936

2009-03-29T16:58:00.001-07:00

Here is a pretty cool look at Jesse Owens as he got ready to trounce the German Machine during the 1936 Olympics.

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Getting Better

2009-03-25T14:50:00.003-07:00

Now that I have been able to put together a few good long runs, get my volume up slightly, and most importantly did 3 miles of quarter mile repeats last night, I am finally starting to feel good about my running again. I feel as if I am becoming a runner again, almost to where I was a year ago and those repeats had a lot to do with it. I probably didn’t run them at the fastest pace I could have, but I did run them hard and was tired after. It was a good accomplishment for me at this point in my training.

Now with a weekend of 8 miles on Saturday and 15 miles on Sunday, check back then to see how much a “real runner” I feel like then. Mix in my son’s t-ball game, church, and a nephew’s birthday party I have a feeling this weekend will be tiring. At least the furlough days have some benefit as I have Monday off.

My last chiropractor appointment was today and I am glad to be done with all of my therapy. I like seeing and talking to Dr Seifkin, but I need to focus on the positive. I am sure that just like when I was discharged from physical therapy I will have some psycho-somatic pains for the first few days, but that will be good.

I received an email from Elite racing with a $15 off registration for the San Diego Rock and Roll Marathon. It also said that this is the last year for this course and the last time the race will ever end at the Marine Corps Recruiting Depot. I hope that the Competitor Group who bought Elite does not try to turn every race they do into a huge carnival where there is more focus on the peripheral events than the race itself. For years the San Diego RNR prided itself on having 20,000+ runners who all did the full, no half marathon available. Now there is a 4 person marathon relay and rumors of adding a half marathon next year. Why cant something that isn’t broken be left alone?

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Get Involved

2009-03-18T19:46:00.001-07:00

Get Involved

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upcoming Arizona running races

2009-03-18T19:02:00.009-07:00

I haven't been updating the races in a while so here are a few quick hits. One of the cooler events coming up is the Chasing the Sun 10K. It is part of a huge Pow Wow taking place at the University of Phoenix Stadium. Be warned however, the race starts at 5:30 AM.
Should be a cool time.

The 5th annual Flagstaff Summer Running Series is set. The dates and events are:

May 16:Run for the Mountain School 5K/10K
June 6:NACA Sacred Mountain Prayer 5K/10K
June 20:Gaspin in the Aspen 5K/15K
June 27:Northland Hospice Run/Walk 5K/10K
August 1:Machine Solutions Soldiers Trail 5/10K
August 8:Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flagstaff 5K/Half Marathon Run/Walk.

Register on Active.com and go to the Northern Arizona Trail Runners Association site for more info. www.NATRA.org

I was going to mention the Valley of the Sun half marathon, but their website says that the race has been postponed until next year. It is a very scenic route that is fairly fast, but I do think that some retooling may be needed after several years of problems, new management (Brian Collins -1st Marathon) should cure the issues.

The Havasu half marathon is April 4th, and the ever popular Pat's Run (4.2 miles) is on April 18th.

The Prescott YMCA Whiskey Row Marathon is May 2nd. This is a race I have wanted to do for a few years but have never gotten up there. Perhaps this will be my year.

May 23rd the 2009 Arizona Road Racers (ARR) Summer Series starts up again at Papago Park.

Anyone catch that lame Biggest Loser half marathon? Way to cheat by cutting the track chick who thought she had won got what you deserved!

Well that's about it for now, hopefully I can keep up with my training, keeping the intensity low but keep the miles increasing.

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Jack Daniels news...

2009-03-18T18:53:00.005-07:00

I came across an article that referenced Dr. Daniels and the demise of the High Altitude Training Center in Flagstaff.

Read the article here...

The article atates: "Daniels’ credentials range from his assistance in Jim Ryun’s preparation for the high altitude of the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City to last year’s Women’s Olympic Marathon Trials, when an unheralded Magdelena Lewy Boulet earned a place on the podium. He worked with dozens of national-class runners over the course of his 40-plus year coaching career. Yet despite these credentials that have elevated Daniels to an almost legendary status, economic downturns have recently put Dr. Daniels out of work."

I am really sad that the center could not keep operating, if no reason other than to allow Dr. Daniels and his family to remain in Flagstaff where they want to be. Pretty sad and harsh reality we all live in these days.

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Jay Cutler...

2009-03-15T14:26:00.002-07:00

I think this article will sum up everything that is going wrong with my Denver Broncos and Jay Cutler.
http://www.milehighreport.com/2009/3/11/794217/jay-cutler-bus-cook-and-th

Agents are killing sport.

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Congratulations!

2009-03-07T16:17:00.005-07:00

I want to take a quick second to give congratulations to my daughters soccer team for winning their division championship today. My daughter plays on the Cheetahs who are in the CCV Stars girls under 10 division. Their season was difficult due to many factors including moving up in age bracket, losing a few good players, being one of the youngest and physically smallest teams in the division, and the expectations (from players, coach ,and PARENTS) of being the overall under 8 champions last year. . based on the difficult season they went into the Bronze division while the biggest teams were in the Gold/Silver division. Rylees team lost their first game to a pretty good team, but bounced back to win the next two. The last game they came back from being down 2-1 with less than 5 minutes to play to win 3-2 and clinch the bronze division championship. So good job girls and coach Jordan, you all deserved it!

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My humor is unappreciated...

2009-03-04T19:58:00.001-07:00

I am slowly starting to realize that to most of society, my sense of humor may as well be spoken in a foreign language that disappeared from the earth 2000 years ago. The first example of that was a few months ago at work. I finished up the work newsletter, formatted it into an Adobe PDF file (as I do every month), and emailed it to the two offices I do community partnerships for. In the e-mail I stated that I would be looking to hire someone to be a paperboy and deliver the newsletter in the future. That went over about as well as a ban on glow sticks at a rave. In fact several people were seriously confused over the matter.

So, fast-forward to today. I was at Home Depot to get a new aerator for my kitchen sink as I poked a hole in the one currently sitting in the faucet. While wandering through the store a very helpful gentleman asked if he could assist me (on a side note, I have never been in a store where every single employee I was within 15 feet of said “good morning” and/or “how can I help you?” It was almost scary). I told the dude what I needed and he walked me right over to where they were hanging on the wall. We found the one I needed and I made a comment about the packaging saying that it was a 1.5 gallon per minute aerator. The sales guy said that it was a water wise Eco friendly unit. I asked if there was an aerator that put out more than 1.5 gallons per minute. This seemed to perplex him, and he obviously was not ready for my next question. He told me that 1.5 GPM was the industry standard. I then asked him if there is a place to find black-market faucet replacement parts, because if there is a 3 gallon per minute version I could really go for something like that. The only response I received was a blank stare. No verbal response, nothing. I don’t know if I came across as an eco terrorist or what, but this guy did not find my Seinfeldesque attempt at humor as being witty. My guess is that security tracked me on camera all the way to my Suburban (It has flex-fuel. It can be Eco friendly).
It was then that reality dawned on me and I realized that my humor escapes the masses. It’s a shame because there is a real party going on in my head.

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running again

2009-02-22T06:31:00.003-07:00

After several months of physical therapy I was cleared to start running again, which is a blessing. I feel very fortunate that everything appears to have gone well to where the pain in my hip and lower back is gone and I can again focus on training. However I am now starting behind the 8-ball so to speak as I have no base to start with as the only running I have been doing was a mile or two on the treadmill at the therapists office so my aerobic and anaerobic systems are still in hibernation mode. To make it worse I am starting off on week 4 of my training program which is about 25-32 miles a week. Straight into the fire. I think that everything will be alright as long as I dont push too hard and continue to do the exercises, stretches, and ice mt hip after longer runs. I purchased a book on yoga for runners that I think will be great when I really get into it.
I got another pair of Asics Gel Kinetics on E-Bay for $51. What a steal for a shoe that retails in store today for $160. They fit my feet perfectly as if they were custom made for me. The hard part is that I like them so much I don't want to train in them as I want them to last.
Diet is going to be a big issue for me as well. I have pretty much been eating whatever I wanted for the past few weeks and my weight reflects it. I went from 222 pounds up to 229.7 as of yesterday morning. I hope to be down to 215-217 for San Diego. I think ideally I would be around 210 for a marathon, but that wont happen any time real soon.
Anyway, today I am off to give a presentation at a church for work about Family to Family then go to my nephew Andersons birthday party. Somewhere in there I will get my weekly long run in.
I cant believe the it will be 88 degrees Tuesday (according to the weather channel). It is February people!

Havr a great week and keep watching Burn Notice!

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Internet speed test.

2009-02-22T05:23:00.002-07:00

Here is the result from my latest ISP speed test using Cox communications. Not too bad.

$171 marathon?

2009-02-18T16:34:00.003-07:00

So I am looking around today and see that the registration fee for the NYC Marathon for a non-NYRR member is $171. I'm sorry, let me repeat that. $171 USD to run a marathon. I know that NYC has a strong tradition and it is a world marathon major and all that, but come on now. In case the race directors dont know there is a bit of an economic problem in this Country right now. I was thinking that most marathons would stay around the $100 mark for some time with more for late registrations, but this is insane. I like how they try to justify it by providing a list of what you get for your hard earned jack. Here are some gems: Entry to the ING New York City Marathon 2009 including hydration and fueling stations, medical support, entertainment, baggage handling, security, the most enthusiastic spectators anywhere, and more. Umm...okay. Then there is this: ING New York City Marathon Health and Fitness Expo. Isnt this open to the public?
ALright, next? Fireworks Presented by Poland Spring. Only the paying runners can see these?

Next...Finisher area where marathoners exit after the race. Isn't that handy.

Not included in their list is the $35 fee for your timing chip, and $11 registration fee. If you aint from here expect to pay $231 (plus above fees) to run it.

Wow, so for all that money you get what every other marathon provides, except being able to say that you ran NYC. I think that in the next few years many smaller local type races will flourish as people can not afford to travel across country and pay a huge race fee. I am doing San Diego again this May 31st, and for us that will be pushing what we can spend. I guess that I need to take into account that we will be staying there between 7 and 14 days, but still.

What do you all think?

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An update!

2009-02-06T18:14:00.003-07:00

I am finally getting some good news. My physical therapist has given me the go ahead to start my training for the San Diego Marathon. I am so relieved. Not getting out to run (other than on the treadmill in the therapists office) was driving me crazy. I went out yesterday and today, everything felt pretty good with minimal soreness in my hip area.
I have lost a good amount of fitness but feel good that soon I will be able to regain my fitness and can start cranking out multiple 10 milers in succession. I am also going to be sure to keep doing core work throughout my training. It is hard to realize that you are getting older and need to do more preventative stuff, but that is life.
I am a bit worried about using the Hanson’s training plan when not totally fit, but as long as I stick to the beginner program I think that I will be alright.
I am excited to go back to San Diego for a week or two. I love staying at Humphreys and utilizing the poolside bar the night after the marathon. Great fun!

Speaking of getting older, did you see this story?
translated and edited by Brett Larner

At the 58th Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon on Feb. 1, the oldest runner to ever qualify for the race, 60 year-old Yoshihisa Hosaka, (Shizuoka Track and Field AC), turned back the years with a run of sparkling brilliance. Finishing 89th overall in 2:36:30, Hosaka broke the existing 60+ world record by 1 minute and 45 seconds. He was smiling broadly at his astounding achievement as he reached the finish line.

Hosaka began running at age 36 when he joined a friend's ekiden team. At age 42 he won his first race at a local event in his hometown. For his first marathon he ran the popular Honolulu Marathon, where he ran a superb 2:31:19. Finding a deep joy in running, Hosaka had by the end of 2008 completed 70 marathons. To get ready to attack the world record in his first race as a 60 year-old Hosaka trained 30 km per day.

On race day, word of Hosaka's attempt on the world record spread along the course after TV coverage showed him smiling and giving an enthusiastic OK sign to the cameras in the first 10 km of the race. As he ran voices called out encouragement and urged him on to the record. At the 27 km point the large crowd of marathon fans gathered in front of the Oita Prefectural Police Headquarters hung banners of support for Hosaka and grew raucous as he drew near. Suffering from an inury to his right calf which flared up just before the race Hosaka was not feeling 100%, but, he said, "The cheering along the course was so incredible that I got goosebumps as I was running. It was what kept me going."

After 35 km a pack of runners surrounded Hosaka and pulled him along. When he dropped behind other runners soon came along and likewise gave him their support, telling him, "Hosaka, let's go!" and "Come on, let's do it!" as they ran together.

His 42.195 km in Beppu-Oita were full of bitter pain, but as always for Hosaka it was in the end simply fun. When he returned to the stadium for the race's final 400 m he was visibly unsteady on his feet but he continued forward to the goal line with every bit of effort in his body. The LED display of the finish clocks counted out a silent testimony for all to see as Hosaka crossed the line with his fists raised in the air, shouting out, "I did it!" His fellow amateur runners surrounded him in disbelief, cheering and calling out their congratulations in warmhearted camaraderie. Deeply moved by the efforts of spectators and fellow runners alike to help him reach his target, Hosaka was thankful as he said, "It was the best. There is no other amateur runner anywhere as happy as I am."

Pending ratification of his mark by the World Masters Athletics association, Hosaka's time will become the official new world record. The WMA recognizes records in five-year age-group categories. "When I hit 65 maybe I'll try for that record next," laughed Hosaka. "How old can I go? I'm going to keep running as long as I can."

Translator's note: Averaging the results of various age-grading tables, Hosaka's run is an age-graded equivalent to 2:07:35. His Beppu-Oita splits are available here. His halfway split of 1:16:52, age-graded, is equivalent to 1:01:59 and was run into a strong headwind which caused the lead pack to lose around one minute from their target pace between 11 km and halfway. The previous record holder was Italian Luciano Aquarone, whose time of 2:38:15 had stood since 1991.

From Brett’s Japan Running News Site http://japanrunningnews.blogspot.com/

I would be ecstatic with those times at my age, let alone at 60.

Have you looked at running shoes lately? If you haven’t noticed the current market of running shoes has reached and is way over the $100 mark. From what I understand this is due to the global economic situation and there is no going back unless cheaper but effective technologies are found and implemented (the Asics rice husk shoes came to mind but they were more expensive to manufacture than the regular shoes). I remember a few years ago getting brand new Mizunos from Holabird for somewhere in the $60 range. Not anymore.

I have been searching EBay for a good price on a pair of Gel Kinetic 2’s. I got a pair at Footlocker on clearance for $49.99 ($165.00 retail). They had to search their inventory system to find me a pair in my size in California which was shipped to me. Now I really like the fit and comfort of the shoe but it is discontinued and they can no longer order them for me. What happened to the pairs that were left across the country?

There are some on EBay for $99 but I don’t want to pay that much. I also have an almost brand new pair of Saucony Progrid Paramounts, but was hoping to save them or the Kinetics as my race shoes. I guess I can get a few more miles out of the other older shoes in my rotation.

I have missed several local races including the Runners Den 10K, Lost Dutchman, and some other road races. Now that I am getting back into it I will try to keep a current list of local upcoming races.

I am still waiting for my Yoga for Runners book, I will review it once it comes in. Until then I still use the Yogamazing podcasts.

Until next time, keep the rubber on the pavement.

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Core Performance: Movement: Videos: Pillar: Bridge: Pillar Bridge - Diagonal Arm Lift Wide Feet

2009-02-04T05:42:00.001-07:00

Core Performance: Movement: Videos: Pillar: Bridge: Pillar Bridge - Diagonal Arm Lift Wide Feet

Posted using ShareThis

WHAT! ! ! ! ! Japan Running News: Masters Runner Yoshihisa Hosaka Sets 60+ World Record at Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon

2009-02-03T07:19:00.000-07:00

Japan Running News: Masters Runner Yoshihisa Hosaka Sets 60+ World Record at Beppu-Oita Mainichi Marathon

azdailysun.com Breaking

2009-01-20T16:57:00.000-07:00

azdailysun.com Breaking

Another setback

2009-01-02T06:02:00.003-07:00

Sometimes life has a way of letting you know you are going against what it has planned for you. This has happened to me. Just when I felt like my training was coming along nicely and I would be fine for the marathon, life reminded me of its plans. As if my struggles this training period had not been enough, I was introduced to one of Arizona’s finest drivers as she decided to ignore the stop sign and pull out directly in my path while I was driving 40 MPH down the road. My Suburban ended up in the driver’s side of her car and both of our days were ruined. She ended up being cited, my car towed away, and my back and hip very sore.
The therapists at Foothills had me back up and able to run with no discomfort at all in my hip/lower back area, and now it is all back (no pun intended).
It has been 3 weeks since the crash and I have just been able to get out for a few short runs. For the most part I feel aright, but the soreness in my hip comes back around 4 miles, I don’t know what would happen if I really push the distance. I will get a referral from my chiropractor to Foothills for more PT but I have doubts that I will be able to run the half-marathon let alone the full.
I may look for a later race and see if I can get it together by then. Potential races include the Lost Dutchman, or Sedona.

On a side note I love the Saucony Pro Grid Paramount’s I recently bought, but do not have enough on them to do a decent show review. I see that the Garmin 305 GPS/HRM is on sale at Costco for $149 (I see that it has gone up to $159 now), I may have to pick one of those up so I am not running with two watches to cover my GPS/HRM needs.

In other good news…my favorite TV show (Burn Notice) is just around the corner from new episodes.

I have been doing a few shorter runs since writing the above. They have been a bit painful so I have been keeping them short. Been going back to Foothills and getting some more work done, and it is feeling better already.
We are going to Flagstaff this weekend so I will try to run up there in the snow single digit temps. Should be fun!

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another update...

2008-11-28T17:30:00.002-07:00

I haven’t been updating much here which is a surprise since I have not been training as I should be. Over the last two weeks my motivation has gone to zero which really sucks. I keep telling myself “I’ll get to it tomorrow” and that I can eat whatever today because tomorrow I will eat very clean and healthy. Problem is, it rarely happens. I will go out and have a great run or eat well (for me) and then follow it up with nothing.
I guess that this has been going on for longer than I realize as I look at some of my older posts. I know this will all come to fester when I cross the finish line of the marathon and think to myself, “man, if you would have trained just a little better you could have finished much faster”.
I think part of it is due to my slower times on the long runs have psychologically damaged me as I am not able to finish the runs without doing some walking (I finished the last 2 marathons with no walk breaks and ran negative splits). Also bothering me is a pain in my lower leg that is exactly where all of the issues I have had in the past started. Shin splint type pain, followed by a tight hamstring. I have been stretching and going to my core/stretch classes, but need to step it up a bit or I will be sidelined for a few months again.

Enough of the whining… I ordered a pair of Saucony ProGrid Paramount and received them on Wednesday. I have not been out to run in them yet but will run in them Sunday or Monday. I won’t wear them tomorrow as it is always a bad idea to break in new shoes on a long run. I really didn’t want to drop $165 on these shoes, so when I found a pair in my size on eBay for $79 I could not resist. The same seller has the Asics Kinsei , the $180 shoes, for the same price. But I have really liked the feel of the Grid Sinister better than the Kayano 13’s. Hopefully they will live up to the hype (doubtful).

Good news is that I didn’t need to go out in the Black Friday madness, except my daily Starbucks run.

I am looking at doing the Sedona half marathon in February, and will be up there this weekend to see the Christmas lights at Los Abrigados . Hopefully I will be renewed by some below zero running in the red rocks.

Anyway, that is it for today. I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and I will blog at you soon!

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What do you know...

2008-10-30T17:57:00.002-07:00

Well that didn’t take long. Just a few weeks after I posted about the confusion at the Chicago marathon and wondered what would happen if a non elite start runner won a big race, along comes Arien O'Connell who had the gall to finish the San Francisco marathon with the fastest time but didn’t start with the elites so she was not declared the winner. At least initially. Nike showed some class and presented her with the exact same awards (including a trophy made by Tiffany & Co.) as the elite women’s winner, and was named “a” winner. Not “the” winner, but “a” winner.

Nike also stated that there would no longer be an Elite start in the future in order to avoid another issue. O’Connell finished in 2 hours, 55 minutes and 11 seconds. The fastest woman in the elite group ran it in 3 hours, 6 minutes, so it wasn’t even close.

I now wonder how many others will buck the trend and get rid of elite starts. I know many major and mid-major marathons are already turning away from the USATF ban on headphones and I-Pods at races, so why not get rid of elite starts. I am all for it. In fact I would get rid of the corrals as well and let everyone fend for themselves at the start. Make it a race from the get go. Except the TNT runners, they need to start in the back. Just kidding TNT’ers. Since they are treated like royalty everywhere else at a race, leave the start to the “others”. I had better stop now before this becomes an anti TNT thread.

I don’t know what is up with my training. I feel motivated and am excited to run the PF Changs again, but I am having the hardest time getting my lazy ass out the door in the mornings. Running after work? Forget it. Between the kids, wife, and being tired from the overly stressful job I have (sarcasm) I cant run at night. I thought that having the new treadmill at home would help, and it would if I would use it. When I was using the old treadmill about a year ago I felt no different running on it or outside. But now running on the treadmill is a chore. The last time I was on it, 3 miles felt like it was sucking the life out of me. I just need to get used to millin’ again, that’s all.

Unfortunately for me, time is running out as I am quickly closing in on the 8 weeks of training left before race window where I believe your race training is either made or broken. Yes, everything leading up to this time is important, but I really feel that if you do not nail your training during this window you will not be at your peak whether that be 100% or somewhere lower due to injury, illness, or whatever. Fortunately for me, I still have time to get my act together. If I can get around to making sure that I hit my mid week longer runs I will be fine as I am doing okay with my weekly long run, but it could be better in terms of stamina.

Tonight I have speed work at the Foothills office. Yesterday Brian took me through a core routine that has my mid-section very sore today. It is embarrassing to say how weak my core is, but I am not able to fully complete the exercises Brian has for me…but it is getting better. Hopefully I can redeem myself with some Usain Bolt style speed tonight. Yeah right…

I want to get a chair that has a stability ball for the seat, so you are using your core the entire time you are sitting in the chair. Don’t know if the State will let me use it at work instead of the State approved ADA chairs. But I can try.

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Snafu at the Chicago marathon...

2008-10-13T05:45:00.002-07:00

Korir 4th in Chicago Marathon, but out of the money
By Philip Hersh | Tribune staff reporter
10:20 PM CDT, October 12, 2008

Wesley Korir, a Kenyan who went to Murray State and the University of Louisville, is listed fourth overall in the official men's results with a time of 2 hours 13 minutes 53 seconds.

But he won't get the fourth-place prize money of $15,000, or any prize money, because he started with the masses rather than with the elite men, who began five minutes earlier.

International track rules for road running say that only athletes who start with the elite race's opening gun qualify for prize money.

The time recorded on the electronic chip in his shoe, rather than times related to a starting gun, was fourth fastest of the race's 31,401 finishers.
The intent of the rule is to take into consideration that Korir did not race the leaders. He raced the clock.
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So, this year the Chicago Marathon race directors decided to have in essence, two separate races. One for the Elites, and one for the masses. And a guy who started with the masses 5 minutes behind the elite runners ends up running the 4th fastest time of the day. I can see all of the arguments about how it isn’t fair to the elite runners as they did not know where he was at and could not tactically run with him to the finish as they would if he were up in the front with them. However, what would happen if he ran the fastest time of the day? The race directors did make it clear that there were two different races this year, and look what happens…that is life I guess. Do you think Carey will have two races again next year?

You hear a variant of this ever year in the bigger races as someone who started behind someone else runs a faster chip time but is listed behind them in the official results as they did not beat them with the gun time. It has just never been at this scale before.

There aren’t many things better than watching everyone start at the same time and watching the runners dressed as Elvis and the schmucks who want to see how long they can keep up with the Kenyans crash and burn.
I don’t like the two races idea, but can understand it.

And what was up with Constantina Tomescu-Dita wearing what appeared to be a thong? I guess she was worried about the warm weather and was doing everything to keep cool. Can anyone find a picture of her outfit yesterday? I looked but couldn’t find any. It was crazy. Whats next, men running in speedos?

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Soulstice Mountain Trail Run recap...

2008-10-12T17:50:00.003-07:00

From one of my favorite papers, I hope to see everyone there next year and congratulations to all who braved the frigid weather to finish.

By KEITH JIRON
Sun Sports Staff
Sunday, October 12, 2008

The weather forecast for Saturday's Soulstice Mountain Trail Run called for howling winds and a chance for snow.

Even so, that wasn't going to keep Flagstaff's Sara Wagner from hopping in her car and heading to the Coconino National Forest's Sunset Trailhead. "When I heard it might snow, I thought it might be even more fun," said Wagner, who won the women's 11-mile race with a time of 1 hour, 29 minutes, 56 seconds. "Before I moved to Flagstaff I used to come up on weekends and I would always hear about Soulstice.

"And when I did my first Soulstice in 2006, I understood why. It continues to be one if my favorite races. It's just a nice reunion with all of my trail buddies."

Saturday's adverse weather conditions reminded race organizer Neil Weintraub a little about the rain-soaked 2006 race.

"Two years ago, we had torrential rains. We actually had the tail end of a tornado that ripped through the southern end of the Mogollon Rim and came north," he said. "This morning I awoke (here) at 1 o'clock in the morning with 70 mph wind gusts and I thought, 'My God, this is going to be an interesting day.'"

In 2006, 171 of 200 competitors crossed the finish line.

This year, all but four of the 200 completed the race.

"It seems like the worse the weather, the better the turnout," Weintraub said.

He went on to say, "(Flagstaff runners) are just a hearty bunch of folks who want to come out and have a good time.

"It's not about who wins, it's just about coming out and having a good time on the mountain, and enjoying the beautifultrails we have here."

Like Wagner, Flagstaff's Brian Cannon said the party atmosphere the run seems take on every year made missing this year's run not an option.

"It's a great group of people The runners in Flagstaff are just a great crowd to be with," said Cannon, who donned a hot-pink wing and wore a skirt over his running gear. "That's the idea behind the wig and the dress.

"To just just to come out and have fun. Not to take it so seriously."

On a more serious note, the race, which started in 1997, then took a three-year hiatus before kicking back into high gear in 2001, is a fundraiser for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flagstaff.

Weintraub said the event raised in the neighborhood of $4,000 this year.

"Soulstice started as a good time for runners, but it got so popular we thought, 'Geez, we could actually do something and donate to some good cause in town,'" Weintraub said.

Wentraub and event sponsor, the Northern Arizona Trail Runners Association, will use the popularity of the perpetually sold-out event to try to raise even more money for the organization.

Starting today, the first 40 to pledge to raise $250 for Big Brothers Big Sisters of Flagstaff will ensure themselves a spot in next year's run.

Weintraub, who is a Big Brother, said the way to get started is to e-mail him at www.natra.org

"We will sell out April 1st, when we open it, so someone wants to secure one of 40 spots, they have (to make that pledge)," he said. "All of the money we raise goes straight to Big Brothers.

"It's basically a new way we can raise money for a fgreat orgasnization which helps kids in this town."

Competitors had a choice between a 10k and an 11-mile race.

In the women's 10k, Janet Nelson was the overall winner with a time of 54:33.

Judy Blubaum won the Masters Division with a time of 1:04.49.

As mentioned, Wagner was the first woman to cross the finish line in the long course.

Paula Aerts (1:35.01) won the Masters Division.

Chris Gomez won the men's 10k in 39:09, while Mark Ulm was the Masters winner in a time of 44.02.

Jared Scott took first in the men's 11-mile race with a time 1:09.37

The race's Masters Division was won by Richard Doucett (1:22.43).

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I am a slacker.

2008-10-06T17:05:00.004-07:00

I am a slacker, not Geb pictured above...

I have not seen very much about this in any mainstream media, so in case you were not aware the world record for the marathon was again broken by Haile Gebrselassie at the Berlin Marathon. Geb smashed his old marathon world record by 27 seconds as he took advantage of excellent conditions on a flat course to finish in 2 hours, 3 minutes, 59 seconds. Despite an ailing calf he shattered the mark he set in Berlin last year and became the first man to win this race three times.
In the women's race, Irina Mikitenko of Germany won in 2:19:19. She improved her personal best by more than four minutes to record the seventh fastest time for a woman.

So if you can travel and want to hit a flat fast marathon, then Berlin it is!

As for me, my training for the past week has been marginal at best. I did very well up to Wednesday when I had a good 5 miler in the semi-dark morning (gotta keep alert for the coyotes and javalenias now that the sun is coming up later) and I made the core work class at 10 AM all before heading down to the first day of a three day conference put on by the Annie E. Casey foundation at the Phoenix Hyatt. Then the wheels fell off. Thursday I was worried about being late so I did not run in the morning, was late getting home (it took 1 hour 15 minutes to get home from there!) and was tired from a day of conferencing and driving. It would have been a great end to the day by going for a run but decided to stay inside and would instead run in the morning even though Friday was a scheduled rest day. The Hanson’s program is so different from a traditional American marathon plan. I think I like the Hanson’s program better, but since this is the plan my physical therapist is doing, I will stick with it as best I can. I need to really wrap my head around training and stop with the "I just want to finish with no back pain", and focus on getting some quality runs in.

What do you think happened Friday morning? The alarm did not get me up and I overslept, creating a mad dash to get dressed and out the door so I would not be late to the conference. Again getting home tired and crabby I did not want to run, I can do my long run tomorrow and be alright. So, Saturday I woke up and my wife was already out running. When she got back we only had an hour before my son’s soccer game. After that we had promised to take the kids to see Beverly Hills Chihuahua, then we had dinner scheduled at my mothers house. So, I will run on Sunday.
Sunday came and left with no sign of a run out of me but I did get a lot of cleaning and yard work done. And the Broncos won again!

Run today? Well when the smoke detector decides to alert you that it’s batteries are going dead by producing a 150 decibel chirp every 45 seconds you know that it is 2:45 in the morning. After getting the new battery placed in the detector, I was not able to fall back to sleep until about 430…the time I get up to run. So when the kids woke us up it was time to get ready to run out the door to work. Now I could lie and say that I will run tonight, but with Lyndsey working late on Mondays that is not a possibility. I didn’t think that I would miss the treadmill so much, but it was so very handy. I really need to save up for a new one. Maybe if I am lucky I will be able to cut out early and go home for a run, pick up my daughter, then drive back into town to get my son (late edit-it didn't happen). It will be a lot of miles on the gas friendly Suburban, but it is the only way I will get a run in today. I really need to get my head into my runs. With Sedona coming up in two weeks I would love to hit a few 10-13 milers up there. When I am doing well with my running I feel like I can run all day up there. With a good two weeks running I should be fine by the time I hit the red rocks.

Until next time!

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Team World Vision

2008-09-17T16:10:00.006-07:00

Here is a video I came across about Ryan Hall and his running for a purpose. Hard to believe that people live in these conditions.

Let me know what you think.

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New IMS marathon

2008-09-17T06:02:00.000-07:00

I recently received an e-mail telling me about a new marathon that will be run in the West Valley. It is called the IMS Arizona Marathon scheduled for February 15, 2009. for some time now I have felt that the West side of town needed some new races as there is a good base of runners out here, and maybe I will be wrong but the route this race is to be run on does not inspire me to jump up and register. There will be plenty of open fields and vacant lots to look at as you go by. And by open fields I don’t mean pristine, beautiful desert either. I mean vacant lots with scrub and dying vegetation. But it does end at Westgate which could be kinda cool, especially if they are able to get the finish in the Cardinals stadium or in the Coyotes arena.

I know that the views are not reason to run a race and I am sure that this race will do well; perhaps I may even run it next year (maybe as training run for the Sedona Marathon) 2010 as I still have my ban on running first year events (too many experiences with being a first year race guinea pig).

So, if this sounds like something you would like to try or you want to check it out for yourself go to http://www.thearizonamarathon.com/, and if you are one of the first 500 to register you will get the 2 for 1 special (as long as you know someone who will run with you).

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Learn to like the pain...

2008-09-10T15:30:00.000-07:00

Some days are much tougher than others for me to get out for my daily run. Today was one of them. My lower back and right hip were both in agony when I got up today to get ready to go run. It was so bad that I almost did not go, then told myself that I would go about a half mile to see how it felt, then decide. The initial first few steps were killers; I almost stopped then, but continued on. At the half mile point my hip had loosened up and my back was starting to get with it. I then remembered that my physical therapist Melissa told me that there would be times like this and that the running would actually be good for it. I was glad that I continued on.

After the deluge last night the air was crisp and cool, the breeze picked up the desert scents and spread them around for all to smell. The morning after a storm is the best time to run in the desert.

Bats were flying everywhere this morning; I have never seen so many in one run. It was crazy, as they will dive bomb you from the tops of a tall saguaro cactus or a light pole, then pull away from only a few feet above your head.

I have seen a coyote on my last two runs. I was driving home last week thinking that the construction out in Vistancia had driven them further out in the desert or up in the hills. It was good to see them, it was also good to see that they had a fear of me and they are not becoming too domesticated. I also saw a road runner out by the canal; I haven’t seen one of those out here in a long time. Well enough with the nature report.

I hope to update soon with some upcoming races in the area. Until then, keep running and maybe I will see you out there.

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Now playing on iTunes: Augustana - Stars and Boulevards
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Catching up...

2008-08-13T15:40:00.008-07:00

I have a lot of catching up to do. For starters the Runfar AZ program will be on hiatus for a bit as I need to get myself back up and running before taking on any other projects. My health and well being takes precedence! So...I will be posting on here about me and my training instead of posting about the group.
I will be training with the group my physical therapy office is putting on. I haven't trained with a group for three years, but I think that it would be good for me as I am basically starting from square one as my fitness is nothing right now. I can run with the pain in my back, but my lungs and legs start dying. I know that once I am able o get the miles back up it will start coming back so hopefully I can put forth a good effort at the PF Chang's.

I recently took a trip to Flagstaff and got in some good running around Buffalo Park. I was wondering if any elite runners would be there even though the Olympics took many from the area. I did see several very fast females running the loop at the park as well as legendary coach Dr. Jack Daniels as he worked with a group of kids. Most of the kids were Navajo, but it was a diverse group. Here are some pictures I snapped.

Nice Nike Free's!

I recently came across some cool videos of Ryan Hall as he was preparing for the Olympic trials and the Olympics. Here is my favorite one. He runs so smoothly, uphill, downhill, in a strong headwind. And he appears to be a nice down to earth dude.

So my current goals are to continue with the stretches and exercises my physical therapist gave me, change my diet and stick to it (I ordered the Chris Carmichael nutrition book), and get back to doing what I need to do. Run often and slow.

Until next time...

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Now playing on iTunes: Mxpx - Secret Weapon
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Baldini marathon training

2008-06-29T06:33:00.001-07:00

Here is a nice video of current Olympic marathon champion Stephano Baldini of Italy as he prepares to defend his championship in Beijing.

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Now playing on iTunes: Amplify SD
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Still hurtin'

2008-06-28T17:25:00.003-07:00

I have decided that I have picked the absolute worst time to start running again after an injury. What time is that do you ask? Summer in Phoenix. It has been over 110 for almost 10 days now, but there is relief in sight, it is only supposed to be 109 then 108 before going back up just in time for the weekend. So not only am I dealing with trying to regain my fitness and form, I have to deal with the heat. Even when one ventures out at 5 AM here, it is still close to 80-85 degrees. At least in the early AM the sun is not beating down on you. The direct sunlight just intensifies everything 10 fold.
I would much rather live somewhere that does not get so hot but has a good deal of snow and clod weather. Those you can make arrangements for, the heat? Well I guess you can wear no shirt and a visor, but that is about it. With the advancements in technology there are plenty of thin, lightweight clothes out there that will keep your core temperature up even when it is below zero outside.

I recently read some of Dr. Daniels work on running in the heat. If I recall correctly, running at 90 degrees as opposed to 55 degrees adds somewhere along the lines of 20 seconds per mile to your time. I need to run more frequently with my HRM so I don’t drop dead here pushing too hard in the heat without proper fitness. As for my injury, it now appears that I did not have sciatic nerve damage, nor Piriformis Syndrome
. The popular diagnosis now if that I have Sacroiliac joint inflammation. www.sportsinjuryclinic.net/cybertherapist/back/buttocks/sacroiliac.htm

I have been doing my stretches, and exercises. Some days I feel great and pain/discomfort free. Other days (like this morning) I feel like walking across the room is a painful exercise in self mutilation.

Some upcoming events:

There is a 10K, 5K and mile fun run in Prescott on the Fourth of July. It is run in tandem with the Frontier Days Rodeo.

There is the BBBS of Flagstaff "Run For The Magic" Half Marathon and 5K Race on August 9th @ 7 AM.

There is the Arizona Road Racers I-Did-A-Run 10K, 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run on September 14th @ 715 AM. http://www.arizonaroadracers.com/Calendar/i-did-a-run.php

My target race this year is still the Denver Marathon, as long as I can keep trying to chop away at the miles and get my fitness back, I will be there. If not…I don’t know. Maybe it is time to take up biking or swimming. Perhaps my body is trying to force me into training for a triathlon.

As for the P.F. Changs marathon training. This years training program will be in Vistancia if there is enough interest. However, if t eh registration is coming mainly from people out of the Vistancia area, the training will be moved somewhere more central in Peoria or Glendale. For more info send us an e-mail: runfaraz@cox.net

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Now playing on iTunes: Underoath - Angel Below
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2008-05-24T04:29:00.004-07:00

I have not been running much (or at all) for the past several weeks. I had been having some bad sciatic nerve pain in my lower back above my right hip. It is probably due to the piriformis muscle being out of place, inflamed, or just plain old bugging the sciatic nerve.

A few weeks ago I felt good with no discomfort whatsoever so I went for a light run. I was not a half mile into the run when the pain came back as strong as ever shooting down my hamstring and into my calf. So, I started doing some area specific stretching as well as seeing a chiropractor in order to try to get things back in shape. So far I am not sure that things are working as planned due to the area where the pain generates (lower back, right side, directly above my hip) has a slight discomfort all the time now, where before it was not there unless I did something to inflame it. Maybe the area is working out its kinks and that is the pain. The chiropractor said that there should not be any such discomfort though so he performed a different kind of adjustment last time. We will see.

I really need to get back to running as I have missed the last two marathons I have wanted to run due to this pain (It was present at a much less severe way back in November when I had to stop training for the P.F. Chang’s Marathon), and as anyone who knows me can attest to, running is my anti-psychotic/anti-depressant all in one. When I am running well and in a good training program running becomes my therapist. No matter what may be on my mind when I lace up my shoes, by the time I arrive home I feel much better about the situation and often have a solution for whatever the problem is. And I have also gained about 10 pounds as I stopped running, but that is just a side note.

I may try to get out and run again this weekend as it is a holiday weekend, and I am on call Monday so being out on a run would really prevent me from having to take a call!

We will see. If everything goes as I hope, I will be up and training for the Denver Marathon in a week or two.

On an side note, what is up with this weather? It was 111 degrees on Monday and today it is 65 and raining. I really wish that I was up to running as there are few things as enjoyable as a run in the light rain when the air is clean and clear. The ground gently gives way to your strides and cushions your body as the top layer of soil is damp, and the desert flora put their scents out for all to smell. Occasionally even the animals come out to enjoy the weather. There are few things better than that.

Running in Sedona through the red rocks with a light snow falling is one of them. The last time that happened was a surreal run that I will never forget. I hope to recreate that event a few times this year. Heck, it is probably snowing there today; I know that it was in Flagstaff and down the canyon.

Keep putting the miles on, and remember to take a second to say hello to whomever you go past. It is amazing what a simple thing like saying hello can do for the spirit of you and whomever you say hello to (unless it is the cyclists in Vistancia that ignore you even when you say “hello’, or “nice day isn’t it?” to them as loudly as you can while they ride by. Just kidding-sort of).

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Now playing: Roberto Soffici - All'improvviso l'incoscienza
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Useful information!

2008-04-14T17:49:00.000-07:00

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Now playing: Emiliana Torrini - Fingertips
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Useful information!

http://www.athlinks.com/

This is a website that I recently came across that when you enter your name it brings up all of the races (running, biking, triathlon, etc) you have done in recent years along with the finishing times, or so they say. When I put my name in many of the races I have done came up, along with several races and times for events that have taken place in States where I have never stepped foot. Also several runs I have done were not listed at all, so while this site can be useful if you have forgotten what your finishing time was at a certain race, you may or may not find it here, along with some races you didn’t know you did! Where are those finisher medals and t-shirts?

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Now playing: Chungking - Following
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Product review: Power gels!

2008-04-14T17:36:00.003-07:00

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Now playing: Goldfrapp - Lovely Head
via FoxyTunes Product review:

I recently tried two new gels on the market (new to me at least), AccelGel and Cytomax Energy Gel.

When I had initially tried the Cytomax product during a few longer training runs the weather had just started to turning warm here. The first thing I noticed about the product was it’s taste. I had the orange and vanilla flavors, and when I ate them it was like taking a bite of the most sugary, flavorful cake frosting that you ever had. Initially I liked the taste as it was a very nice change from many bland gels but I soon realized that all of that sugary taste comes with a steep price, a very sticky and dried out mouth. The first few times I had the gels I did not have water or a beverage with me, so although the gels went down without a hitch, the pending cotton mouth was a beat to be reckoned with. Plus the taste lingered in my mouth for a very long time which while initially enjoyable ended up being annoying (I know that I am easily annoyed). With water the gel is much more tolerable in regards to the sugary taste and the aftertaste does not linger for as long, but it is still there. Now this surprised me. When I looked at the sugar content I expected to see some out of this world amount of sugar content, however it only has 5 grams of sugar out of 27 total grams of carbs. So, I am not sure where that fluffy, sugary, came straight from the top of the richest cake ever made taste comes from, but it is there. Now that it is really getting warm here (90’s) I can’t imagine using this product on a hot long run. I think that my mouth would fuse shut. But with enough water or beverage it should do the trick just fine for those of you with an over sized sweet tooth.

As for performance, there was nothing remarkable about the product as it did as advertised and expected. Just like all gels it helped me through the longer stretches of the runs and got me home.

The next new product I tried was the Accel Gel Accelerade. What intrigued me about this product is that it contains the 4:1 ratio that has made the Accelerade and Endurox products famous. So while there is only 20 grams of carbs, there is also 5 grams of protein in each pack. I thought that this was going to require me taking more of the product in order to get through my training runs, but as it turned out my assumption was wrong (sense a theme here?). Compared to the taste of the Cytomax gel the flavor is very bland, but it is just enough to cover up the texture and natural flavor of gel.

As for performance, this product got me through my long runs feeling fresh and as if I was ready to keep going on. And when I was expecting to have some fatigue and post training soreness that I usually experience, there was none. I assume that it due to the addition of the protein in the formula. I have since started to exclusively use the Accel Gel as my training and racing gel of choice, but knowing that there is too much of a good thing and that the body needs change as it adapts and grows I will also occasionally supplement with other products like the Powel Gel I received a part of their training program sponsor program. I took a liking to the Accelerade line after using their drink at last years San Diego Rock and Roll marathon. I was not complete toast when I finished (I could walk around the finish area and did not have to collapse) and I was not as sore as expected afterwards. If you can’t tell I really like their line of products.

Ratings:

Cytomax Energy Gel 3.5 out of 5 stars

Accel Gel 4.5 out of 5 stars.

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Now playing: Club 8 - We Move In Silence
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Lake Havasu Half Marathon

2008-02-12T17:49:00.000-07:00

I received an e-mail today from Karen Opperud who is the President of the Havasu Hustlers running club. Karen wanted to let me extend an offer of $10 off registration if you are quick enough to register before February 15th. So, if you are interested in getting in a race in Lake Havasu, (and maybe do some boating afterwards???) go to their website and register ASAP!

http://www.havasuhalf.com/

Core Strength

2008-01-27T05:32:00.000-07:00

I found this video at Runners World, and thought that it was useful and in need of being passed on.

Congratulations!

2008-01-21T11:33:00.000-07:00

Many of you just completed your first half or full marathon at the P.F Changs after training for four long months with RunFar Arizona. I want to tell each and everyone of you how proud I am of the hard work and accomplishment you forged. I told all of you from the start that it would not be easy, buy the end would justify the means. Was I right?
Again congratulations and relish in the moment of your feats. Now, with that being said, the training for Rock and Roll San Diego will start in February, so I hope to see many of you again soon, and don't forget to invite your friends!

Shoe Review - Asics Gel Kayano 13

2008-01-08T18:20:00.000-07:00

I recently received a pair of the new Asics Gel Kayano 13, which came very highly recommended by various persons. I was excited to try them out as I had heard so many great things about the Kayano line (the cushioning and just right amount of stability) that I was finally ready to try something outside the Mizuno stable.

Being a somewhat heavier runner (220 pounds currently), cushioning and stability are areas that usually vary greatly for me compared to what the general tester and wearer experience, but I had read several reviews of previous Kayano models that stated that the shoes were great for heavier runners, so what is there to loose? They were on sale for $89 and I was ready to try them out.

Initial impressions:

The fit was good for my foot type (fairly narrow) the toe box and heel cup fit nicely, with no slippage or sloppiness. They laced up well and felt sturdy and stable.

When I first tried the shoe on and did some light jogging, I thought that the shoes were very stiff and rigid, with most running shoes even non-cushioned versions there is usually a pillow cushioning feeling to them right out of the box, but it was missing here. After about 15 miles on them, the stiffness started to come out and the cushioning has started to make an appearance ( I have never worn a shoe that the cushioning started after putting miles on them, it is usually the opposite), but now that they have over a month of running on them I can not give them high marks compared to what I have experienced in various Mizuno's. The moderate level of stability is there as advertised so they have the nail on the head there, but the rest of the shoe left holes in the walls.

Rating:

I give the Asics Gel Kayano 13 3 out of 5 stars.

(I guess it also doesn't hurt to try running shoes on before buying them, but I live and learn!)

This rings true every day...

2008-01-03T05:54:00.000-07:00

I found this online and wish that I could follow it daily, it seems easy enough, so why is it so hard to follow? This is part a commencement speech from Steve Jobs of Apple at Stanford University.

"When I was 17, I read a quote that went something like: "If you live each day as if it was your last, someday you'll most certainly be right." It made an impression on me, and since then, for the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: "If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?" And whenever the answer has been "No" for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.

Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life. Because almost everything — all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure - these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important. Remembering that you are going to die is the best way I know to avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

I always liked this, but it never hit home until my grandfather (who was more like a father to me really) passed away on December 13th. I had never experienced death to someone I loved before this, I guess I was lucky-depends on how you see it-but it has been an eye opener and made me realize that I will not be here forever. I miss him daily and wish that I spent more time with him, but know that we had many awesome adventures and times together in Sedona.

I really need to start living every day to the fullest, which while being so very, very simple is also so very hard. Most of us have jobs, family, outside influences that pull us away from what we really want to be doing. But in the long run, we are already naked, what do we have to loose?

This can be applied to running at so many different levels. If you desire to run a half or full marathon because it is something you have always wanted to do, what is stopping you? An internal fear? You want to shatter your personal best at a certain distance, but you keep hearing how it is out of your range...don't listen. Are others telling you (to your face or behind your back) that you can't do it? You need to do what your mind and body wants to do, and so do I.