Previous Races and Reports
"Click" on these Completed Races to go to my Report.
Inaugural Disneyland Half Marathon September 17, 2006
San Francisco Marathon 6/30/06
San Jose International Triathlon 6/25/06
Deuces Wild XTERRA Triathlon 6/4/06
Wildflower Olympic Distance Triathlon - 5/7/06
Windman Olympic Distance Triathlon 4/9/06
Lost Dutchman Marathon 2/19/06
Monterey Big Sur Half Marathon 11/6/05
Santa Cruz Half Marathon 4/17/05
Reports of Completed Races below (most recent at bottom of page)...
Completed the Santa Cruz Half Marathon April 17th, 2005. It was my first organized race and I had a blast.
The sound of all the footsteps at the start, 1100+ runners, caught my attention, it sounded
just like rain on a plastic roof. My main goal was to
finish in 2:15:00 or better. Goal two was to finish!
I totally failed to run my plan. It's tough to run slow at the beginning with all the excitement of the race and the fact that everyone is passing you. I know that that is why the last couple of miles were so tough. My training run of 13.38 mi a couple of weeks prior took me 2:23:55 for an average pace of 10:45. I smashed my main goal by almost 10 minutes. The first 9 miles were run at an average pace of 9:14 while the last 4 miles averaged 10:00. Overall average was about 9:30. Finish time was 2:05:07 by my watch. Gun time was 2:05:14.
Stats: 580th of 1139 total runners. 94th of 132 geezers in my 40-49 age group.
The beautiful Santa Cruz Half 13.1 mile course ran through the streets of Santa Cruz and on a dirt trail through the Wilder Ranch area. Here's the course map in PDF format. My first Personal Record! This amazes me since I grew up with an active dislike for distance running. Needless to say, I enjoy running now, at least most of the time.
Finally! - the finish line on the beach.
I ran the Big Sur
Half Marathon on Monterey Bay November6,2005.
Drat! Caught a cold that shut down my training the first week and a half of Oct. Oh well, no pressure, just going to run and have fun and enjoy the scenery.
Well. The weather and course were great! Even without preparing as I would have liked, I felt really good.
This race was chip timed, that is, each runner wore a small transponder and the start finish time was taken electronically.
I ended up running a 2:06:14. My average pace was 9:38/mi and I managed a 9:17 kick on the last mile.
Rebecca and the boys were at the finish line to greet me which was excellent.
2/8/06 Got an MRI on my left knee today. Been having some ITB pain and the Doc. wanted to check out some joint looseness. I'ts really been causing problems with training so needless to say, my goals for the race have changed. I'll get the results here in the next few days to see if I can run the race with a little help for the pain without risking serious damage.
Good news, bad news. The Doc. said that I can run but will have to deal with the ITB pain. The MRI clearly showed Iliotibial Band Syndrome. I will run the race and do my best to meet goal 1 and hopefully 2.
The MRI also showed a torn/ruptured anterior cruciate ligament. This is probably the root cause of most of the problems on my left side and probably happened some 4-5 years ago. I've compensated physically and neurologically to stabilize the knee and this has generated other problems. I plan to have the ACL repaired later in the year after I finish up this triathlon season and the Disneyland Inaugural Half Marathon in September.
Goal 1: Finish!! - Goal 2: Finish with a smile. - Goal 3(revised): Finish under 5 hrs.- Wish me luck!!
Lost Dutchman Marathon
GOAL 1 Complete!! Goal 2 - Marginal. Goal 3 - Not this time.
Well. Unfourtunately Alex and Connor were sick so I went to Ariz. alone. My brother Todd, and my sister Kristel and her husband Steve and their kids were there to see the finish which provided great support.
We were bussed up to the start and kept warm with little camp fires before the start. I wrapped my leg with an IT strap and took some ibuprophen and a pain med to help stave off the knee problems that I was expecting. The first seven miles went down an undulating dirt road to Hwy 60 then through the Gold Hill area and on into Apache Junction. Things went pretty well till about mile 20. Both calves and my left quad began to cramp unmercifully. Stopping to stretch helped no more than walking it off so there were about four miles of walking and then running as I was able. Miserable to say the least. Finally the cramps subsided for the most part but now I was pretty well spent. I was proud to have made the last 2 miles at about 12:30 pace. I did leave plenty of room for a new PR should I attempt this insanity again ;-)
Finish time was 5 hours 2 minutes and 22 seconds. Feb. 19, 2006
Avg. Overall Pace @ 5 mi - 9:42 @ 10 mi - 9:50 @15mi - 9:50 @ 20 mi - 10:28 @ 26.2 mi - 11:35
(Avg. pace during about 4 miles of cramping 14:56)
Windman Olympic Distance Triathlon - April 9, 2006
1.5 km swim / 40 km bike / 10 km run
Small event. Only 56 athletes in the Olympic distance (36 male). Many of the race details were not well done but, for the most part, there was little impact to the athletes. ie: swim course different from the race packet. Number placement for the run different than packet. Race director was a bit argumentative at times. Funny.
Swim- Water below normal, about 55F. I wore earplugs along with a borrowed neoprene cap in addition to my Ironman Instinct triathlon wetsuit. I was very comfortable throughout the swim. I'll have to work a little on swimming a straighter line and a lot on speed.
T1- (Transition - Swim to Bike) My first so I took it pretty easy so as not to forget anything.
Bike- Up a hill right out of T1 not bad then down below the Dam through the spillway water, approx 50ft x 10in. Even with my feet unclipped, hard not to get wet. Then a tough hill, 250ft over ~1/2 mi, and then all flat till the return trip from below the Dam and back down to T2. The roads were pretty good though some areas very bumpy. I passed a few people and a few passed me. Light winds. I think I spent most of my energy on the bike because the run was very tough.
T2- (Transition - Bike to Run) No problems but did not rush.
Run- Up hill to mostly off road course with a few small, some steep, hills to
test your remaining strength. My quads near the knees were threatening to
cramp from almost the beginning but never became severe enough to have to stop
for more than a few seconds.
Race results: Swim 0+40. Bike+T1+T2 1:37. Run 1:20. Time - 3:34
Three of
us from work. Troy, Greg, and Jim getting ready to go.
Leaving the water and up the boat ramp to T1 and the bike.
Headed out of T1 on my Specialized Roubaix bicycle.
Jim and I post-race.
Great time had by one and all!
Wildflower Olympic Distance Triathlon - May 7, 2006
Glad to be done!
Wow! The last Tri had 56 athletes in the race, this one had 2589! The event was extremely well done. It's one of the oldest and largest Triathlons in the US.
We left Alex with Grandma Cole and headed down to the venue on Thurs with a borrowed camping trailer. Upon arrival we found that all the areas with hookups or even just with water were taken or reserved. We were fortunate to find a spot where the neighbor was willing to share, thanks Jim and Katherine. We were also next to the Cliff Bar group with free samples and a Sat BBQ so that was cool.
We relaxed on Fri and enjoyed the great weather. Sat had the Long Course and Sprint events. We watched some of that along with looking at all the stuff in the expo area. I saw Phil in the POLAR booth. He did my road bike fitting. Rebecca and I got a few things at the expo and I checked over my bike that afternoon. The Olympic pre-race meeting was that evening. There were only about 75 to 90 people there. It was great. We got a great course overview and a question/answer period with the two people that won the long course today. Shattering the course records by the way.
I headed down to transition on Sun morning to find my spot and get set up and body marked. I was on the same row with my friend from work, Jim Silk. It was pretty neat being in the huge transition area and warming up for the race. I was in the 12th starting wave so we started 55 min after the first. I caught site of Rebecca and Connor while in the pre start corral.
Swim - I started in the back of the group and on
the right. The 1.5 km/.93 mi swim was basically a rectangular course.
My plan was to swim hard but comfortably. I did drift off course a couple
of times but got back without too much trouble. Going by one of the piers,
I was amazed to see that I was moving along pretty well. My swim time was
over 8 min faster than the last race at 31:34. (21:02 min/km)
One of the age group waves entering the water.
T1- Slow and relaxed at 4:02
Athletes entering T1 after the swim. I'm the one under the arrow!!
Bike
- Right out of the transition area a one mile climb up Lynch hill to start the
40 km/22.9 mi leg. About a 300' rise. I was glad to get to the top.
The course was filled with ups and downs with a couple of fairly long climbs but
not as steep as the first. I have to work on my biking in particular.
A relatively slow time of 1:48:00. (13.7 mph)
Enjoying a flat portion in aero.
T2- 3:47
Run - I actually did better on this 10 km/6.1 mi run than the last race even though it was more up hill with the last mile being steep downhill to the finish. It was hot. The spots on the course where people would spray you with a hose was great, at least for a minute or two. I wish the aid stations had ice to put in my hat. I suffered but concentrated on maintaining form and economy. No cramps till the very end as I tried to sprint through the finish. I need more running in warmer weather to do better. A very slow 1:13:43. (11:53 min/mi)
Overall, what a blast. I understand why people finishing say they will never do this race again. A couple of hours later they are getting ready for next year. It's a fairly difficult course but well run and a great atmosphere. I definitely would like to do next years event.
Deuces Wild XTERRA Triathlon June 4, 2006
Talk about learning experiences, this was one.
It was great visiting AZ. Road trip with the whole family through Tucson and the White Mountains introducing the boys to their relatives. Connor got to meet his Great Grandmother Kruppenbacher who is, as of this writing, 97 years old! Quite an adventure traveling over 2000 miles with two youngsters.
Let's race. I checked the weather report and the forecast was warm. The record was 92F and a local reporting station showed 91.7F. HOT! Oh well, I knew ahead of time that I was going to suffer on the run segment.
Excellent morning and I was the first one to the transition area. I got set up and talked with some of the other athletes. It turns out the overall race winner racked his bike right next to mine. Very nice guy.
Swim (800m) - Worst start to date, I very nearly gave up after the first 150 meters. I got kicked and one side of my goggles filled with water. I couldn't get into good form because I kept running into feet. It was crowded. I don't know if it was the altitude (6300 ft) or the anxiety but I began to run very short on air and energy. Quitting actually crossed my mind a couple of times. After clearing my goggles, it took at least another 100m to get my breath back and start working on swimming form. By the time I started cruising and feeling good, I was way behind and nearly to the half way point. I picked up speed and passed a number of people before the swim finish. Time -18:15
T1- I stripped to the waist going up the boat ramp where I dropped on the carpets and got stripped of the wetsuit by the strippers. Very cool. Tried to hurry but realized I had no place to put a gel. Stuffed it into the back of my glove and headed out to the bike mount line. Time - 3:45.7
Bike (24.5km) - Very rocky area. I really had fun. I'd never ridden anything more difficult that dirt roads before. I read a couple of books on mountain biking and did my best. As in the past, my leg strength was my weak point. I did have to walk some of the hills but was not the only one and I was riding over footprints some of the time so I felt pretty good. I felt like I was rocking on the descents. I also heard more than once from others, "I thought this was not going to have any technical sections". I passed a fair number of people here. Hopping ruts and going over small logs that others were going around and blasting through rocky sections while others were crashing or moving very slowly. There was one section called the BONEYARD that was nothing but fallen trees from the fire a couple of years back. Everyone was carrying bikes that I saw. On one of the last corners a girl passed me but then lost control and I tagged her rear tire with my front. We didn't go down but did laugh about it. We traded places a couple of more times till she had a small mishap. Time - 1:55:11
T2 - Racked the bike and changed shoes. I filled my hat with ice from a six pack cooler and headed out. Time - 3:44
Run (8km) - The ice lasted about 2 of the 5 miles. It really helped. The run course was also very rocky and one killer steep hill. Hot and dusty run through the juniper trees and dodging the occasional prickly pear cactus. The turn around at 2.5 mi was a welcome site. At this point I was just hoping to make the time cutoff. Finally getting back to transition was a tease, we still had 1/2 mile to go around the camp sites and up a bunch of stairs to the short paved run to the finish line. Time - 1:14:50
A cold popsicle capped off the race. The Show Low Arizona XTERRA is tough. I had a blast. Total time - 3:35:46
The swim in Lake Almaden got a bit shallow in spots. Actually stood up to run for a few meters. There were four turns for added complexity. 28:56
T1 - No a big rush, what can I say. 5:40
Bike - Mostly flat course on city streets and also out of town. One significant hill though not large. Saw quite a few flat tires this day. A little bit of wind near the turn around point otherwise nice. Some discomfort over last half with the stomach. 1:26:01 with a 17.3 mph average.
T2 - Trying to relax for the run. 4:19
Run - All bad. More discomfort on the run. Stomach not happy and hot after first third of the run. Lots of walking today. 1:20:26 with an average pace of 12:57. Yikes.
Saw Becca and the boys near the end of the run and enjoyed their company at the end.
Would definitely do this one again.
I knew going in that I was quite unprepared so I planned to be conservative and run with the 5 hour pace group to the half way point and then evaluate my status.
I’ll make the excuses first. I was wholly under trained. I’ve been having ITB issues on my left side, which is partly why I was under trained. The longest run I managed was 14 miles. Way short of the normal 20 at least once or twice before the taper. Well, if that was the case you say… why did you foolishly attempt a Marathon? Well, ya got me there. Looked like it might be fun.
Up at 3 am so I could head out about 4 am to be there before race start at 5:30am. My wave didn’t actually leave the start line till 6:10 which was fine by me. The city was a bit warmer than forecast and the fog layer burned off much earlier than expected. Not my favorite since I do better when it’s nice and cool.
It was a beautiful course, for the most part. From the Ferry building along the Embarcadero and up and across the Golden Gate bridge. Vista point was cool seeing half the bridge lanes covered with runners. Turn around at the Vista Point and a return trip across the bridge and down into Golden Gate Park. Through the Haight Ashbury district, the Mission district, and another one or two I do not know. By ATT baseball park and under the Bay Bridge then finishing back at the Ferry building.
Here is the bad part so avert your eyes if need be. About 30 min into the run I started to notice some slight pain in my left ITB where it ties into the hip. Not to worry, I was taking it easy. I stayed with the pace group to the half way point and somewhat beyond. Climbing one hill I had an odd step the shot a stabbing pain into my hip. There was yet 12 miles to go. To my dismay I started to lag from my group. Ok, that’s fine. I want to finish under the 6 hr cutoff and do so with a smile is what I said to myself but I really wanted to finish in 5 hrs. Not going to happen. OH NO! Seemingly only a short time later and the 5:15 pace group passed me and I couldn’t hang. Not looking good. Still a good 10 miles to go. The 5 hr group was about 3 min slow at the half, maybe this one was a little fast? Almost all of the last part of the course was down hill or flat. I’d been hydrating well and stuck to my plan on the energy gels so I felt I had the energy to do it. The problem now was that both hips were hurting as well as my feet and ankles. Both calf muscles were pinching telling me they were on the verge of cramping. My right shin was doing the same and the sun was now beating down in the concrete jungle.
I got three cups of water at each stop. Two to drink and one over my head. I finally found a running stride, when I could run, that while very short, allowed me to relax my lower legs and put off the cramps. It was only slightly less painful to walk. I continued to feel the pinching but never did cramp. The last couple of miles were continuous pain but I could not stop if I wanted to make it before 5:30. I was not the only one suffering, I passed a lot of walkers in the last few miles. Final time? 5:28:44 At least I managed that and believe it or not, I’m proud of myself. Training will be right for the next one or I will not do it.
Is that all? Oh no. After the finish I continued in pain and ended up walking/hobbling, in a semi delirium, for about 45 minutes till the pain seemed to subside enough to be able to drive home. I was wishing I’d driven a vehicle with an automatic transmission. The worst part was actually getting in and out of the car. I got home and took and ice bath to knock back the inflammation. Started with cool water and slowly added ice till we ran out. I later took an anti-inflammatory and elevated my legs. Gratefully getting some relief. Will sleep well tonight. Not looking forward to the next couple of days. I was pretty sore the next two days but improved rapidly with normality returning by Thursday.
First mistake: Registering for the race without adequate time to train for it.
Second mistake: Knowing about the first mistake and being too bull headed to change over to the half marathon.
I’m sure there are plenty more but I don’t want to pile on.
It felt good to finish. They say you can learn a lot about yourself in 26 miles and 385 yards. ‘Tis true. No more Marathons on the horizon. Of course, that what I said after the last one in Arizona. The year will round out with a half marathon.
Inaugural Disneyland Half Marathon September 17, 2006
What fun. For some reason, we had to be there an hour and a half before race start. It wasn't a cold as I had expected so that turned out to be no problem. Started a o'dark thirty (6am) and ran though parts of Disneland and California Adventures as well as the streets of Anahiem and through Angel stadium. I ran hard, outside the park, but did not max out since I thought I had a race the following weekend. Shot these fotos during the race using my cellphone. I had a lot of fun and would definately recommend this race to anyone interested in doing a half.
Early in the
race. All the rides were running but no one was there.
The run was
not without it dangers though.
This lurking sunglassed dino snapped up a few racers.
The Incredibles! Cars.
Sunrise climbing an overpass.
A motivator.
Entering Angel's Stadium.
Back into CA adventures.
Sully cheering us on.
The last mile.
Thanks Goofy!!
Ahhh, finished!! 13.1 miles in 2:19:40
After the race, I headed back to the hotel for a short cold bath and back to Disneyland to spend the rest of the day, and the next as well, enjoying the park with Rebecca and the boys. Grandma and Grandpa K were there for the fun also.