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!

Bonita Stampede 8K September 10, 2016

@ Sweetwater Regional Park, Bonita CA is described as "... a challenging European style race through scenic Bonita trails. Includes rolling hills, hay bales and cheering support along the way!

Uh... I clocked the first mile at a comfortable 6:08 pace. Then the fun began....

We woke early and enjoyed a couple of espressos in the warm Murrieta morning. The drive down took over an hour, including some wait time due to an auto accident on I15. We luckily grabbed a parking spot close to the start area. Running a bit late I jogged over to the registration tent and picked up my bib. It was 35 minutes to the start, so I quickly laced up my spikes and headed out for a warm-up. This was a single start race, both masters and open in the same race, and everyone was on the trails. It was low 60's with overcast skies, a perfect morning.

I headed back to the start area and found a spot on the left outside of the crowd as the first turn was a hard right about 50 meters out. The starter gave the instructions "if you miss a turn...it's your own fault." Then we were off and running.



Bonita Stampede 8K Start

Mile 1 was comfortable although I was breathing dust from the front runners. The course was a mix of sand, and loose dirt. About a quarter mile in was a wash created to control rain runoff. It was a bit shaky as everyone was stuffed through the short and narrow dip in the trail. At mile 2 an almost imperceptible rise began. At 1.9 miles it was "welcome" to the sandy zig-zaggy uphill. I clocked mile 2 at about 6:35. From mile 1.9 to 2.15 was a climb of about 100 feet. At the top of the rise I could see the leaders climbing a second hill and I knew this was going to be fun. The first climb was followed by a drop of 40 or so feet followed by another 90 or so foot climb. Cheering HS age kids were providing support along the way. Mile 3 was a 7:15ish, and I was ok with that!  Mile 4 was a rolling down-hillish run that I covered in 6:36 and I gathered myself enough to finish mile 5 in 6:22! I almost forgot...somewhere between mile 4 and 5 was the last of 3 hay bale jumps, I hurdled the 1st with grace, stepped on the 2nd, and cursed on the 3rd. Feeling pretty good overall I held the last mile together. This XC stuff takes some getting used to, and I feel stronger running on sandy trails.



Finish Line In Sight

The gory details...: 
Overall 53 of 154
6th in 50-59 year old age group
4th in 55-59 year old age group

We, SDTC, had enough runners to score in the Dirt Dog CX Series but the standings have not yet been posted. And I think(hope) my position (currently 3rd) in the 50-59AG will not change.

JoAnne and I then took a short drive over to old town San Diego for brunch and refreshments.

Refreshments at Old Town Mexican Café

Next stop Crazy 8's 5k at Rancho Bernardo Park on September 24, 2016

52nd Annual Balboa 4-Miler September 3, 2016

Waking early we headed out to San Diego's Balboa Park, home of the San Diego Zoo, Food Truck Friday, and the Footlocker Cross Country National Championships.

Arriving fashionably early, parking was easy, we strolled over to the registration tent for bib pick-up. I had not previewed the course so I warmed up by running an out and back over the final mile. A portion of this included the infamous zig-zag hill. Feeling appropriately warm I headed over to the start area which was a large grassy field.

Greeting a few runners, I have not obtained a San Diego Track Club singlet yet, I received a few strange looks and questions about my Dahlberg-Kourtz Distance Project singlet.

Then after a few instructions from the starter, we were off and running. I clocked a flat mile 1 at 6:25, at the bottom end of Amanda's suggested opening pace. Suddenly there was a 100 foot drop over the next quarter. It would not have been so bad except that it was concrete covered with loose sand and leaves and a hard right turn at the bottom. I somehow survived and was now running on loose sand and dirt parallel to RT 163. Mile 1.9 to 2.0 was a rather arduous, and unexpected, 100 foot climb and my pace dropped to 6:42. And then just before mile 2.5 was a steep 50 foot drop. Then began a looping mild upgrade until mile 3.5, at which point I returned to the top of that aforementioned 100 foot climb. Now it was a 100 foot drop. Good times. After the downhill it was a short flat and sandy run to the start of the zig-zag hill and about a 1/3 of a mile to the finish. I managed to pass a couple of runners on the hill and one on the home stretch. Mile 3 was tough at 6:53 and mile 4 was a humbling 7:14. One runner easily passed me just before the chute. I once again handed over the tear-off portion of my bib. Tough course. I'll do better next year.
 
Our team, SDTC, took the win and the lead in the Dirt Dog Series lead after 2 races.

The gory details:
27th Overall Master Runner
4th in the 50-59 AG
1st in the 55-59 year olds.

AG Bling

JoAnne and I headed out to Old town San Diego for brunch and refreshments.



Refreshments at Fiesta De Reyes

Next stop and the third race of the series...the Bonita Stampede 8k, European Style XC, on September 10.

11th Wild Duck 5K August 20, 2016

My training has been going fairly well considering it has been over 90 degrees, every day, all summer long. To make matters worse, I hopped on the scale Friday night and saw that I was 4+ pounds heavier than the day before the Boston Marathon!

Waking early on Saturday JoAnne and I took the 40 minute drive to Oceanside. (it may be Vista I haven't figured out all the town lines yet)

Guajome County Park is located near nurseries, farms, and farm stand's that offer Citrus, Avocados, and other tasty foodstuff. It is a popular place that offers camping as well as hiking. It has become the location of the 1st race of the San Diego Imperial association's Dirt Dog XC Series.

We parked and strolled over to the start line and bib pickup. This was to be my first race as a member of the San Diego Track Club 50+ Team. Three races were scheduled, the Masters 5k, the Open 5k and a Junior 2 mile. There were some local High School XC Teams working out and it appeared that at least one team was running the open race.

I headed out to warmup and preview the course. The first 3/4 mile was slightly graded uphill which quickly turned into a rather harsh uphill. After the first mile the course was flatish, one hill at 2.5 miles followed by a downhill to the finish.

Returning to the start area, the temp was rising and it felt marine layer humid. I stood around chatting for about 15 minutes until the starter arrived.

After a few announcements we were off!

Amanda had given me advice on the running the first mile that I either had forgotten or ignored. I reached the first big hill and worked it a bit too hard. Anyway, I passed Mile 1 in 6:11 and knew that the heat, and that hill, were going to chip away at my pace. I tried to hold the pace as the course, a mix of sand and packed dirt, flattened. Mile 2 was 6:18. Mile 3 was a loop near the lake and through the picnic. At 2.5 miles there was one final hill that quickly deposited everyone onto a downhill straight dirt road toward the finish. I was hot and covered with sweaty dust (or dusty sweat).  Either way, I tried to press down and make a decent run for the finish chute.

Crossing the finish line I was instructed to hand over the tear off portion of my bib.

Official time 19:36
2nd in the 55-59 Age Group
7th in the 50-59 Age Group
27th Overall

I haven't figure out how to find online results...no Coolrunning. But I believe I do pick up some points for the Dirt Dog XC Series Individual competition. And I am not sure how we placed as a team.

The awards ceremony was short with the biggest giveaway of shirts, hats, and swag as I've never seen. I snagged a nice SDTC sweatshirt and Dirt Dog Dogbone medal for my effort.

Afterward we took a short drive to Carlsbad for pizza and refreshments followed by a lazy walk on the beach.

Next stop, the 42nd Balboa 4 Miler in San Diego, September 3, 2016

Wild Duck XC August 20, 2016

I took a month after Boston to relax, work on the new home and pork up a bit. Sometime in May I figured it was time to start running again.  With some help from Steve Vaitones, I transferred my USATF-NE Association membership to the San Diego-Imperial Association.

The depth of running clubs locally is not nearly the same as in NE; however, they have the competitive spirit. I signed with the San Diego Track Club, looking forward to running with the 50+ Team for the Dirt Dog XC Series. There are 8 XC races http://sandiego.usatf.org/Programs/Cross-Country.aspx scattered throughout San Diego County. And...complete all 8 and garner the ever coveted IronDog recognition!

The first race is in Oceanside/Vista on August 20, a 5k that hopefully will shake off some rust. Amanda has put together a schedule that is gently bringing me back into condition. I've taken the opportunity to run most of my training on the trails at the Santa Rosa Plateau. I was a bit worried in July, it was hot here, when the temps were staying above 90 degrees every day. Since then, I have become accustomed to the heat and train through. Long runs are back as well as shorter intervals.

 On the home front...

It has been so hot...that my freshly planted avocado trees were getting burned leaves...had to put up some sun screens.

Meanwhile, since we are in a hot spell and severe drought, we decided to plant Waterwise and low maintenance front yard. Apparently the cactus loves it. Eventually the rest will catch up.

And while still figuring out how to decorate the new house...I'm thinking of having the balusters sandblasted and painted light grey to match the lighting fixtures and making new hand rails from quartersawn oak.

While I miss running in NE I still follow the competition and read the running blogs! And I am looking forward to becoming part of the running community here in Southern California