Cypress 10k Run July 29 2018 or...

...I haven't done this in a while. I think my last road 10k was the Lone Gull.

JoAnne and I woke early yesterday and took the hour or so drive to the City of Cypress, a nice little Burg quaintly nestled between Long Beach and Anaheim. Sort of. It is arguably the flattest city I've ever seen.

Traffic was light and we arrived early enough to find a convenient parking spot. We strolled over to the bib pick-up tent. There we plenty of volunteers and everything appeared well organized.

I pinned on my bib, found the Cal Coast Team Canopy and introduced myself. This was my first run with the team since joining back in May. I headed out for a warm-up and met some of the CalCoast 60+ Teammates.

It was overcast, humid, and starting to get a bit warm. Not having raced in a while my plan was to hit mile 1 in 6:45 and hopefully not faster than 6:30. Then see how it felt. I headed over to the corral, listened to the National Anthem, and we were off. The 5k, 5k Walk and 10k started together. After navigating a few who misjudged the starting pace and a couple of baby strollers, I was able to run in the clear. The course was the 5k loop x2.

I had no idea who my age group competition was so I tried to catch every runner that, well, looked my age. I had plenty of company throughout the 5k. As I approached the 5k finish/10k split I spied a fellow that turned to continue the 10k. He appeared to be of my age so I pressed down a bit to close the gap. A younger, younger than me, runner was with him. As we passed the water station they both grabbed a cup. I went around hoping to gap a bit. They came back. At about 3.5 I decided to go and see who was going with me. After a bit I no longer heard footfalls behind me. My race portion lasted from mile 3.1 to mile 4, more or less. I ran the last 2 miles pretty much alone save for the walkers. 

Approaching the 5k Finish

Overall it was a decent run for me. I could have pressed a bit more during the first 5k, but I'll take it for a first race in a couple of years. And it was a good to meet the team prior to the start of XC. I'd really rather be on the trails that on the roads.

After running couple of cool-down miles, we went over to the results table. Laptops were provided where you could type in your bib number and viola, results appeared. I picked up my bling.

I was not waiting in line for a photo!

The gory details:

From the official results page:
60+ AG 1st of 13 runners
at the 5K split: 49th of 261 21:41
at the 10k split: 47th of 269  42:50

According to Garmin:
Finish Time: 42:51, Distance: 6.33, Pace: 6:46
Mile 1 6:49
Mile 2 6:50
Mile 3 6:48
Mile 4 6:40
Mile 5 6:49
Mile 6 6:50
Mile .33 2:04

We took the 91/15 south drive back to Murrieta and after a shower headed over to 8 Bit for a delicious Hefewissen.

Lizards, Snakes, and Hill Reps, Oh My...or...

Prepping for the The Old Goat 50k at Lake Elsinore

Yesterday morning I drove up to the Santa Rosa Plateau Reserve for a set of hill repetitions. I know hill reps on a plateau sounds funny, but it is quite hilly up there. Anyway, I reached the Hidden Valley Trailhead just as the temperature was rising. And there was not a cloud in sight.

Hidden Valley Trailhead

I grabbed two handhelds of liquid, my shoes, and took the short jog over to the Los Santos trail. The views were awesome, the wildflowers were just coming out and a bit of snow could be seen in the distance.

Wildflowers and Snow

As I jogged along I could see my destination hill on the Los Santos Trail. The only shade was at the very top and none on the winding single track.

Los Santos Trail

I was already loose, but I took 10 minutes to warmup starting with a brisk run to the top of the hill where I would start my workout.

Arriving at the top, I was ready for 10 x down and up with 2 minutes active recovery.

Rep 1 I headed down, a straight with a hard left to a short steep drop and a hard right to a manageable downhill. There were lizards scrambling around and it was all I could do to not step on any. I was about a minute and a half down when I spotted a snake curled and sunning on the trail. I was moving quickly and was able to hurdle. I reached my turn around at 0.3 miles and started heading back up the hill. The snake was gone but there were an unusual number of lizards trying to trip me up. I reached the top, punched the lap button on my watch and jogged a recovery.

Rep 2 No snakes this time but I was already feeling a bit knackered after this rep.

Rep 3 Still uncomfortable, I tried to relax on the way down, knees flexible and keeping braking to a minimum.

Rep 4 Dialed back a bit on the down but still had to work the up. I considered opening up the recovery to 3 minutes, but my run HR and recovery HR and seemed normal, so I just tried to hang in. I drank some extra water and felt a little better.

Rep 5 Feeling better and more relaxed on the down and the up was quicker even on the steeper top section.

Rep 6 Now, finally into a rhythm I was working my standard down, up, and recover. And I was concerned that I didn't have enough water. It had to be close to 80 degrees.

Rep 7, 8, 9 Trying to stay consistent, focus on keeping the downhill controlled and holding pace on the ups. Sucking wind for the last minute on the uphill's, but my legs felt strong.

Rep 10 I headed down and wouldn't you know, old snakey had returned and was stretched out across the trail. I once again hurdled it and hoped it wouldn't be there on the way up. I turned and headed up. Around the corner the snake was holding it's turf. I was running uphill and knew I couldn't perform an uphill hurdle. Running off trail and behind the snake, I was hoping it wasn't a trick to force me into a rattlesnake nest.

Done and done! And I was out of water. I took a slow jog back to the parking lot.

 

Los Santos to Hidden Valley Road

I haven't posted in a while, which begs the question...Why are you posting about random hill reps?

 

So...a while back I was thinking about my marathon finish times and how I could improve, despite the fact that I decided not to run any more marathons.

Since the end of the 2016 XC season, I had been running easy, trying to figure out what to do in 2017. Anyway, I wanted to run somewhere and I haven't been feeling the love for road races.

I did a search on the old inter-web and found a ton of trail races in and around Southern California.

I asked Amanda about running bigger miles, trail racing, and may have mentioned improving my marathon time. She thought running an ultra-marathon was a good idea...of course she did.

Fast forward to...well...now, and here I am, registered for the Old Goat 50k on April 1st, a boatload of trail miles completed, wondering when I thought this was a good idea.

I've been learning that trail running requires a unique skillset, especially here in SoCal where a missed downhill turn will cause the uninitiated runner into an intimate relationship with the Cacti. I've run some bigger miles, tried to get in some elevation, and am trusting that it is enough to make running 50k manageable. And fun. Overall, with a few rough patches, training has gone well.

To be continued....

The Long Drive January 7, 2016

On Thursday, January 7, 2016 I hitched a trailer, filled with my "stuff", to my van. And then, somewhere around 10:00 am EST, started the drive from Massachusetts to California. It was a quick ride through Rhode Island and Connecticut.

I crossed the Tappan Zee Bridge in New York. Pennsylvania was a long ride and at the end of the first day I made it to Middle of Somewhere, Ohio. I pulled into a rest stop crawled into my nest and slept for about 4 hours. I woke, grabbed breakfast to go and got! It was getting colder and I wanted to get in as many miles as possible. I phoned JoAnne along the way and she kept giving me weather updates that made me nervous. And Matt phoned a few times and offered to fly out and help with the drive.

Hotel Routan
 

I made decent time on Friday through Indiana and Illinois stopping every couple of hours to gas up, eat, or stretch. Friday late I was in Missouri. Tired (wondering when I thought this trip was a good idea) and having trouble finding a good rest stop. I pulled into a stop very close to the highway. It was dark and I knew I was in a somewhat mountainous region. A couple of cars and truckers were there so I felt safe enough. I slept from midnight to about 4:00am on Saturday when the tapping of raindrops on the rooftop woke me. I checked the weather forecast. Heavy snow was expected. I checked the safety chains on the hitch and hoped I could get out of Dodge in a timely manner. And then the snow began. Traffic slowed, but I was headed out of the storm's path. A couple of hours later all was clear and I was halfway across the country...too late to turn back.

I had an uneventful ride through Oklahoma, but as I drove through the Pan Handle of Texas my low tire light came on. I pulled over and it was freakin' cold! Wind was blowing snow dust across the road and it was as flat as any place I've ever seen. If I became stranded out here.... Checking the tires, I could find no problem so after checking the hitch and safety chains, I headed out. A few miles later the warning light went out.

As I entered New Mexico I called my brother and asked if I could stay over. I had the pleasure, as I drove toward the Sandia Mountains, of seeing one of the most beautiful sunsets. And then had one of the most nerve racking drives as I pulled the trailer, in the dark, through the Tijeras Canyon. Once I passed through the Canyon and into Albuquerque it was a long 40 minute drive to Tome, NM

I arrived at Santos and Camille's about 9:00pm on Saturday evening. I did battle with his dogs and finally made it into the house. We ate dinner and chatted about my trip and the new house in California. It was nice sleeping in a bed again, but in a strange way I had grown accustomed to my little nest in the van. Santos wanted me stay another night, which I should have, but I was anxious to get to moving. Santos then gave my van a thorough checkup ensuring a safe finish to my journey.

Uncle Santos
 

I said goodbye around 10:00am Sunday morning. I decided to take the original Route 66 which ran through Los Lunas until 1937. It was a clear but cold morning for beautiful drive through Western New Mexico.

Along Historic Route 66

Entering Arizona I was unsure if I could complete the trip today. Snow was predicted for Flagstaff (RT40 to 17) so they (Santos and Camille) advised me to exit at Holbrook and make my way to Phoenix. I took Route 377, the Hashknife Pony Express Route. It was another beautiful drive taking me through the Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest.

Snowy Drive in Arizona



Finally arriving at Phoenix and Interstate 10 it was a straight shot to Riverside County, Ca! But it was getting late and I was getting tired. I grabbed some coffee and thought that with a little luck I could be "Home" by midnight. I called Jennifer and told her my plan. She had the house keys and agreed to meet me. Crossing the border into California, I was waved through without question. Passing through Joshua Tree and Palm Springs I was getting close but it was almost midnight. Exiting at the 215 it was straight south to Murrieta. I pulled into the driveway just after 1:00am Monday morning. Jen was there with some snackages and a bottle of wine. And it was cold. The heater wasn't on. The battery in the thermostat was dead. Quickly I pulled the battery out of my camera and voilà, heat! We shared the wine and talked. I sent text messages to everyone that had followed. Then I went to bed.

Hill Reps and other Musings November 3, 2016

I was working and in the back of my mind was today's workout. I thought maybe I could run the hill on Mendon Road to Daniels Farm. Then I remembered that I did not live in Blackstone anymore. It happens every now and then, even after 10 months of living in California.

I had some hill reps on my schedule and decided to get off the road and on the trail for today's session. I took the short drive up to the Santa Rosa Plateau hoping it might be a bit cooler as the temps were already pushing 80 degrees. It was a clear, completely cloudless day and not a breeze could be felt. Grabbing a bench at the Hidden Valley Trailhead, I  slipped on my spikes and donned my VCM finisher's cap.




Hidden Valley Trail Head

I chose the Los Santos trail for my workout as it had the appropriate ups and was winding, adding a bit of change-up to the session.



Objects in the image are steeper than they appear!

Warmup was a 20 minute in, on, and about the Los Santos Trail. Fortunately I carried plenty of water because it was getting hot and the air felt really dry.

Warming Up

Though there were a several cars in  the parking lot, I was all alone except for some lizards and a tarantula trying to disguise itself as a bunch of grass.

Lone Tarantula

I started the workout feeling pretty good. Fairly early I was pretty much sucking wind, which was the whole point...I suppose.

Running Up

The downs were tough on the quads...especially on the turns.

And down....

From there it was rinse and repeat!

And Up....

The uphill views were well, actually I wasn't that concerned with the view going up; however, the downhill views were pretty good.

Downhill View

 

Finishing up I headed back to the trailhead stopping along the way to get off my feet. Thank you Phil Richardson...wherever you are!

Bench dedication to Phil Richardson

15th Annual Cuyamaca College 6K, October 29, 2016

The 7th race of the USATF SD-I Association's Dirt Dog XC was held at Lindo Lake in Lakeside, CA. The start time of 8:00, for boys and girls, old, and young, had us up and out the door at 5:30am for the 70 mile drive. (After, of course, our customary morning espresso) We arrived as the sun was just rising.

Sunrise in Lakeside, CA

There is no parking within the park itself leaving us with a short walk to the registration table. I signed, paid, and headed out to preview the course which was 2 and a half loops over macadam, dirt, sidewalk, and grass. There were a lot of ducks and geese that were in for a rude awakening.

 

Ducks

 I headed over to the start line, a simple chalk marker seemingly placed in a random spot that I would have missed had not it been for the runners milling around. About a hundred meters out was a hard right with three or four wooded post designed to keep out autos, and appeared to have a secondary purpose of maiming runners.

 

I positioned myself appropriately, not in the mood for chit-chat, and wait for the go signal. Soon we were off.

 

Cuyamaca Start

 

I safely negotiated the wood posts and found myself boxed in as the trail narrowed. It was about a half mile in before I could move. Mile 1 was just under 6 flat, ok for this course but a bit quick for the way my legs felt. Mile 2 started on a wet grassy area, transitioning onto a sidewalk and then back on a dirt path. Mile 3 started at the end of the dirt path and we jumped onto a sidewalk returning to the start area at about 2.5 miles.The final loop was the balance of the race, I hung with a couple of female runners. Together we caught and passed a few competitors. Then, about 800 out, one pulled away and dropped us. I managed an ok finish.    

 The Gory Details:

Posted:
24:16 (6:31 per mile pace)
3rd in 50-59 AG

According to my GPS watch:
24:15 (6:15 per mile pace)
Mile 1 5:59
Mile 2 6:15
Mile 3 6:24
Mile .88 5:37

The truth, I suppose, is somewhere in between.

I've been slackin' a bit, looking forward to getting back to some longer distances, maybe the trail series next year. The XC thing has been fun, harder than I thought. And I've managed to maintain a tentative 6th or 7th place in the 50-59 AG series. It wasn't a goal, but there ya go! On the brighter side I have almost completed the entire Dirt Dog XC Series and am one race away from receiving the ever coveted Iron Dog recognition!

We left directly after the race took the scenic drive home.

Somewhere around Poway

 We headed over to Temecula to taste the wine at Mount Palomar Winery. It was live music Saturday on the patio. We strolled into the tasting room where a splash or two of wine was offered. We then purchased a bottle, borrowed two glasses, sat in the shade and enjoyed a fine afternoon.

At Mt. Palomar Winery

Anyway, the remaining race of this Dirt Dog Series, an 8k, is the USATF SD-I XC Championship at Mission Bay in San Diego.

10th Cougar Challenge 8K October 15, 2016

It was a fairly short drive to Cal State San Marcos for the 6th race of the USATF SD-I Association Dirt Dog XC Series. The race is held by the CSUSM XC Team and includes a college race, open race and master's race, with everyone starting together. The men's race was scheduled to start at 8:45am, women's at 8:00am, and this gave me a little sleep in time. This was also a back to back race with last week's Balboa Boogie and I needed the extra sleep!

We arrived at 7:30 and walked up to the track to find the bib-pickup area. The women were warming up and some parents were milling around waiting for the race to start.

Arrival

We found the registration/bib-pickup tent. I filled out the appropriate form and handed it to the student volunteer. She took my cash and while writing my bib, asked for my preferred gender. I look at her with tilted head and replied, "I prefer women!" JoAnne promptly punched me in the arm and everyone had a good chuckle. She then asked if was running the men's or women's race. She checked the little box next to the word MALE and handed me my bib.

By this time the women were lining up and ready to start. We found a spot to watch where I changed into my running shoes and prepared for my warmup.

Ready for my Warmup




Women's Start

I previewed the course which was 3 laps on the campus of the university finding it was a mix of dirt, loose sand, gravel, cement, pavement, and a grassy loop around the track. There was a couple of rises that almost passed for hills and would fully annoy me on lap three. I headed back to start line and lined up behind some college kids along side some other grey bearded fellows.

 

Men's Start

The start was quick and I was soon well behind the front runners. We exited the track area and I could see some of the regular age groupers just ahead of me. They went out well below 6:00 pace for mile one and I stayed behind.  I soon realized that I forgot to reset my watch for auto-lap and was not going to see mile splits and the course was not marked. I was able to close up a bit on lap two but my legs were feeling heavy.  Lap three was again, just an attempt to hold pace. I managed to push the last hill and stride out a bit on the grass loop around the track.

 

Final Loop

Overall, I think I'm holding up ok despite running 6 races in 7 or 8 weeks, thanks mostly to a training schedule, developed by Amanda Kourtz, that gets me to the start line healthy.  

 

My finish time was 31:55, good enough for 3rd in the 55-59 AG and 5th in the 50-59 AG.

 

We headed out and made a brief stop  for refreshments at Stone Brewery in Escondido.

 

Refreshments at Stone

Next stop the Cayamaca 6k, the 7th race in the Dirt Dog Series!

 

 

 

 

Ursula Rains Balboa Boogie 5k XC October 8, 2016

Ursula Rains Balboa Boogie 5K  is the 5th race of the USATF San Diego-Imperial Association's Dirt Dogs Cross Country Series. The race is held at Morley Field, at the north end of Balboa Park in San Diego, and shares some of the same paths on which the Footlocker Cross Country Nationals are run. There is a 1k Kids race, as well, that supports the Second Recess Program.

The race is run and held in honor and memory of Ursula Rains, a standout San Diego Runner.

 Aptly named, the course rolls up and down through the park over the 3.1 miles and consists of some two dozen left and/or right turns that includes a course drop of about 50 feet over the first .85 miles, then begins a climb of 50 feet until 1.15 miles, followed by a drop of 25 feet until 1.3 miles followed by a climb of 30 feet until 1.5 miles followed by a drop a drop of 50 feet until mile 1.65, followed by a climb of 60 feet until 2 miles, followed by a drop of about 35 feet until 2.5 miles, with a gradual rise of about 20 feet to the finish line. How hard can it be?

The master's race was scheduled to start at 8:00 and I wanted to arrive by 6:30 to preview the course. We had guests, my brother and his wife, visiting from NM and found them ready to take the drive to San Diego. We had our customary 3 cups of espresso and jumped in the car at 5:30. Arriving about 6:40 we grabbed a parking spot. The lot was already filling and I was surprised to see runners already prepping for the race. We walked over to the bib pick-up area and was soon ready to preview the course. I spoke briefly with Amy Halseth(PRT), the current series leading female master, about the course layout. Then I headed out and found the course marked with arrows in a somewhat confusing directional arrangement. I jogged what I hoped would be the actual course. It was beginning to warm as I returned to the start area. I had the chance to chat briefly with Dave Spinler(SDTC) and Scott McEntee(PRT) We were called to the start line at the top of a long grassy field. A few instructions and we were off.



Balboa Boogie Masters Start

I was not feeling great, I've found that I don't like running on grass, and was glad when we made the 180 degree turn around some trees and transitioned onto a dirt path. I was around a few familiar faces and they looked way better than I felt. Anyway, Scott passed me at about a half mile in and Amy followed soon after. I could see Sheldon Subith just ahead and tried to keep him in sight. I clocked Mile 1 in just under 6 minutes. It wasn't too quick but I knew the next mile would be a struggle. We entered the desert loop which had ruts from water runoff and lots of round rocks in and out of the trail. Dust was everywhere and on a short uphill the trail narrowed, crowding everyone, and it was difficult to see footing. This was followed by a very sandy section which took the rest of the steam out of my legs. After a circle around the dog park and then the swimming pool Mile 2 arrived. I was sucking wind and was passed by teammate Dave, then a Jamul runner. I repassed Dave and eventually the Jamul runner.

Mile 2

Mile 3 was just a hang on fest. I had nothing and could not respond when I was passed on the final stretch. I got him 2 weeks ago at Escondido, today was his.

 

Final stretch

Despite the fact that I struggled a bit, I did manage to squeeze out 2nd place in the 55-59 year old age group which earned me a bottle of Talmage Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon!

Yummy!
Photo Credit: Doreen Karp-SDTC

 The Gory Details:
Finish Time 20:08
Mile 1: 5:55
Mile 2: 6:29
Mile 3: 6:30
Mile .21: 1:15 (My Garmin had the course long, most runners agreed on .17-.2)
24th of 109 Masters
4th 50-59 AG
2nd 55-59 AG

The awards ceremony was wrapping up so we headed out to Old Town San Diego for some breakfast and refreshments at Fiesta de Reyes.

The next stop in the Dirt Dog Series is the Cougar Challenge at UC San Marcos on October 15th. The race is held on the Sam Marcos campus and is directed by the Cougars XC Coach Steve Scott. Yes, that Steve Scott!

2nd Annual Crazy 8′s 5K September 24, 2016

Rancho Bernardo Community Park in Escondido, CA is the site of the fourth race of the Dirt Dog XC Series. The Crazy low entry fee of  $10.00 helps support Mission Vista High School XC Teams. This is the fourth race of the USATF-SD Dirt Dog Cross Country Series. Seven XC races plus one championship race. Combined points of your 3 best races plus the championship race points (double points) determines the winner. Same rules for teams. Be there or be square. The race series has an interesting history that you can read about at dirtdogxc.com.

Up early we again enjoyed a couple of espressos before hopping into the car for the 40 mile drive south on the Avocado Highway.



I15 in Fallbrook, CA

 

Along the Avocado Highway

Another beautiful morning in South County Riverside/North County San Diego. We arrived in a timely manner strolling over to the bib pick-up area and spotted a dog park and many dogs frolicking actively in the early morning sun while their owners sleepily sipped coffee. I was feeling a bit less frolicky! This Cross Country business is quite different from the road racing series. It has taken some time to get trail legs, but I feel stronger.

I have been trying to bump up my mileage, mostly for the SD-I XC Championship in November, despite not having any time or desire to run bigger miles.

I skipped registration for the 2017 Boston Marathon as I wanted to focus on running locally. I really have been wanting to run the Bataan Memorial Death March Marathon in Alamogordo, NM. I have two Uncles that were killed in the Shin'yō Maru incident, while I never knew them my Mom was always remembered them to me.

Long story short, I'll speak with Amanda about it and see if I can prep for the 2017 or 2018 run. I ran 12 miles Sunday when JoAnne and I took a drive to Carlsbad so I could have a change of scenery and run along the 101.

But I digress....


I pre-ran the course as my warm-up, starting on wet and soggy grass which lasted about a half mile. These folks are not shy about lawn watering. Crossing a paved parking lot the second half mile started on a dirt trial. At 3/4 mile was a 50 or so foot hill about a 1/4 mile long.

Then it was a mile downgrade with hard U-turn on the trail/road at 1 3/4 miles that sported some loose sand last year but was packed when I ran through today. Still a tight turn though!

There was also a nice view of Lake Hodges which I am sure I would ignore during the race.

Nice view of the lake.

It was beginning to warm up out of the 50's and into the 60's, still a nice morning. I headed back to the start area on the final mile, a slight up grade, crossing the parking lot again and onto the grassy and soggy finish area.

I looked around for Joanne who was kind enough to carry around my gear for me even though I am cranky before a race. My shoes were soaking wet and I wanted to change. Where was she?

My Sherpa

Changing from my spiked to my into my spikeless near a conveniently located, and comfortable, recliner sofa I was ready to go!

 I relaxed a bit while waiting for the start. I chatted a bit with teammate Patrick L, still on the DL. We, the San Diego Track Club, just made the three runner minimum to score points in the race series.
There were some instructions fro the starter that I failed to hear. There were some HS runners lined up behind us. I was not going to let one of them by! Then! Everyone started running so I...well...joined in. Amanda suggested a 6:10 first mile. The grass was soggy, so it was a bit of work to hold pace. The course crossed a sidewalk and my wet shoes slipped a bit giving me a scare. Soon I was on the trail and feeling ok.

The hill at 3/4 reminded me of HS XC and I pushed a little harder passing a couple of runners.

I felt my GPS vibrate and saw my 6:05 for mile 1. Just about right. As I approached the top of the hill a shadow began to grow to my left. I heard a runner gaining quickly. I glanced at the shadow's head and saw a bouncy ponytail. I then realized that I was about to be chicked! She appeared on my shoulder and I said "Go get em." She said "grr mmm hill" I pushed a little but she pulled away.

Mile 2 headed down a bit toward the lake. About 1 1/2 miles I saw the leaders that had already turned at 1 3/4. I closed on one Jamul runner and followed him through the U-turn and made the push to pass.

About 1 1/2 miles in.

He didn't go with me so I had to work the uphill alone. I knew there were a couple of 50+ guys chasing me and some series points. I clocked mile 2 at 6:01, a bit surprised and happy! The balance was uphill and then on the wet grass to the finish. My legs were a bit toasty, mile 1 and 2 quicker than I've done this year, and I ran 6:36 for mile 3. Considering mile 3 was uphill, a lot, and I went out a bit above my current fitness, I'll take it.

Approach to the finish line.

5k's are too short for me. I am so used to long road races that each XC race has been a learning experience. I am pleased with my opening 2 miles and did press during mile 3. Each race has demonstrated improvement in my fitness. This is a fun course and it did remind me of the courses I ran in HS in New Mexico. As they say, "Back in the Day."



Not a good look!

The gory details:
Official 19:19
Place 24th
Age Group 50-59 3rd
Age Group 55-59 2nd

We stayed for the awards ceremony, I received the 2nd place medal in the 55-59 year old age group. Decent, but I was trying to get the 100 winner points! Actually it is a very nice XC medal!

2nd 55-59 AG

JoAnne and I took the drive home and enjoyed a relaxing breakfast in the backyard. A quick shower and we drove over to Karl Strauss Brewery in Temecula for an Artisan Cheese Board and Beeramisu.

Next race takes me back to San Diego to...the 51st Annual Ursula Rains Balboa Boogie 5K @ Morley Field, San Diego CA. Great another 5k! OK less beer, more footspeed!