Reno Tahoe Odyssey

I'm in Reno participating in a 180 mile relay race around Lake Tahoe for the next 24 hours. I'll post some pics when I have pc access. 3 things I've observed so far:

1. Relay races are very fun. Yay team!

2. Reno is not nearly the dump I'd heard it was. It's sort of a quaint mtn town.

3. Bunny ears, checkered skirts and knee high socks are such a hot team outfit. Meow.

9 miles at 7:04 pace in 93 degrees

Funny how I nailed the average pace of yesterday's run to the second - bet I couldn't do that again. I guess it's a sign of consistency? 9 miles at 7 min pace, felt good.

Loving the latest Prodigy album, especially the song "Warrior's Dance" - check it out it will make you run faster no doubt.

Here is a pic of the park where I run, it's beautiful at dusk when the colors come out, like running on the moon:

13.1 miles at 7:04 avg pace at 97 degrees

Well all that in the last post about only doing 6:30 short and fast workouts is a bunch of hooey. I tried on my run this afternoon to bang out the 630 and it just was not happening - my hamstrings were especially tight and unresponsive - so I settled on 7's and that felt good and so I went with it. Did the full half marathon distance at the park, and although the thermo said 97 degrees when I left the house, there was a light breeze that helped make the heat bearable. It is, after all, a dry heat(like an oven).

So I was probably overthinking the training issue - to get better, I just have to run more at whatever pace feels good. As long as I'm working, I'll get better. Hopefully ;)

Fast and short vs slow and long

I've come to the conclusion that the only way to better my half and full marathon times is to drop my training pace to a faster level than my goal pace. So a 6:30 for 7 miles instead of a 7:10 for 14. I'm not sure whether I'll be able to do this, or whether I'm right, but I feel like I have plateaued at the 7 and change mark and I don't think I'll be able to make a lot of 7 minute pace 16 mile runs over the next few months. I just don't have the time. So my new short term plan is shorter and faster. This may make the running too unpleasant - I might not be in shape for 6:30s. Guess I'll just have to try it and see.

11.3 miles at 7:13 pace

I started out on the long run at a little slower pace, 7:15 instead of 7, and everything felt good the first 8 miles despite the heat - about 95 degrees. At the 8 mile mark I realized today was not the day that I was going to do 15 miles at that pace. I felt like it was possible, but that it would take a toll on my body, and I did not feel the need to do that to myself. What it really means is that I'm not quite there yet with my running, to do 15 miles at 7 to 7:15 - which is fine. I'll get there. I did finish 11 miles at 7:13 and was not breathing heavily at the end, normal heart rate, so I felt good about that.

On another note, it's been about 3 months since I've done a pushup or any upper body training. About 2 years ago I had undertaken the "100 pushup challenge" program and got up to about 75 pushups that I could do at a time. The program really works, but it eventually dawned on me that there is no need for a distance runner to have large arms or a developed chest. This may seem a strange benchmark, but to me it's all good because it tells me I've been focusing on the parts that are going to make me faster - my legs and core. A triathlete or a sprinter may need big arms but I've never seen a fast distance runner with them.

Going for 15 today

It's not quite as hot today and I'm due for a 15 miler. I feel like I have to make this distance my friend if I'm going to improve my endurance this summer. My goal is to head out at about 6 after work and do the entire run at the park, mostly on the 2 mile loop that is flat and fast, at about a 7:15 average. I will try very hard to maintain consistency, to not dip below 7 on any mile, and to not worry about my 13.1 split.

If I could do one of these a week I think I would be crushing my prs. Here's to breaking down barriers.

Moderation in the face of 100 degree days

I had a bonk of sorts last night. Instead of the ten mile tempo run I had planned, I bailed and went to swing dance lessons at the las palmas Cuban restaurant downtown.

I don't know if it was the 100 degree heat or that I just preferred the social activity. But I will probably not be as fast this summer as I had hoped. I've skipped some runs the last few weeks. If instead I am a better dancer then I will consider that a victory.

The swing lessons are fun and there are more women than men there most nights. That's all I know right now ;)

13.1 miles at 7:09 avg pace in 105 degrees

When I started out at 5 for a long run in the park, the thermometer at my house read 105, the readout in my car said 106, and my iPhone said 101. Whichever was right, it was damn hot and made for a good conditioning workout.

I find it so much easier to run in a park on a trail. My last couple of long runs have been through the city to the running store to run with the group, and the stop lights are such a drag. They pull me out of my groove and pace, and the car fumes are nasty, and there's always a nagging fear in my head that one of these godawful Vegas drivers is going to flip out and hit me.

So it was nice to do today's entire run at Wetlands park, and allowed me to hit a solid pace and maintain focus despite the heat.

My near term goal is a 7 minute pace for 15 miles on a 90 degree or hotter day. If I could manage that once a week, I feel like I would be in excellent shape to take down my 1:28 PR at the Bryce Canyon half marathon on July 16 and to finish possibly in the top twenty, depending on the field.

I try to think of the heat out here in Vegas as a training tool, a conditioning element, an "edge". Otherwise it's just depressing pondering the reality of how hot it is and will be here for the next 3 months, lol.

An easy 6 miles and a bad poker session

I did a morning 6 miler on the Strip and then a 9 hour red cross CPR/AED class and then a poker session where everything that could go wrong did. Did I play well? Not particularly. But it didn't help that none of my draws got there and all of the villains' did.

If nothing else the weekend reminded me of why I don't play poker much anymore, why running is a better hobby - you get a certain amount of guaranteed satisfaction from the running. Whereas poker can leave you in a bad place.

14.5 miles at 7:33 pace

4 miles to the Village Runner, 6.5 miles with the Village Runners, 4 miles back home. It was hot - at least 90 - and the sun bore down with an Iberian intensity:

Garmin Connect

Good to get in a long run after a number of days of shorter quicker workouts. If I'm going to do another marathon this summer I'll need at least one long run a week. And lots of water :)

Red Rock

I did the Red Rock half marathon in March and I'm not sure I'll do it again considering how many steep inclines were involved - I think miles 1 through 6 were straight uphill :(

Instead as far as races on the horizon I'm looking at faster courses. The Bryce Canyon half marathon on July 18th in Utah has a net drop in elevation of 1800 feet so I'm thinking of doing that. I don't have a race for July so that would make a nice goal to aim for. I did 1:33 at red rock so I think I would aim for 1:29 for bryce, possibly breaking my 1:28 pr with the benefit of all the downhill sections. I love running downhills. I've read a lot about how it tears up the quads, but that has never been a problem for me. Running uphill - that tears up my quads!

Yesterday I did a trail run with a running group in the area, out at Red Rock national park, and it's beautiful up there, hard to believe so much natural beauty is so close to Vegas. It was a relaxed jog of about an hour and it felt good to have an easy day. I saw what I think was a bald eagle soaring way up high over the cliffs, gliding into the setting sun with ease and grace. So beautiful.

Afterwards I played 1-2 no limit poker at the red rock casino - a huge and elegant new resort at the far west end of Charleston just before you hit the national park. It is an impressive and modern facility but the poker games are awful - mine was a very tight table with 5 seniors who would only play two pair or better. I was lucky to escape with only a small loss. Not only will these guys only play royal flushes, but they all seem to know each other and eye you like a falcon states down greedily at a helpless little mouse in an open field. I had kings amd flopped a set and it was like the two guys in the hand sensed immediately that I was strong and wouldn't even call a weak little ten dollar flop bet. No thanks! It made me realize how much better the Strip action is and redoubled my enthusiasm for those games. I can't see myself playing out here again.

But the hiking is great :)

60 minutes on the indoor track at 6:52 pace

I took a break from another 98 degree day and ran on the indoor track at the gym after work. 60 minutes at 6:52 pace and the last 3 minutes at 6:00 or so. The indoor track felt nice with its unnaturally optimal conditions of moderate temperature, flatness and lack of wind.

A sign on the wall there says the track is 975 feet and that 5.5 laps make a mile. But when I got home and multiplied 975 by 5.5 I got 5362 feet, a bit over the 5280 that I believe makes up a mile. So I guess the extra 40 yards per mile gets chalked up as conditioning?

Since I was indoors my trusty Garmin was not an option and so to figure the pace I timed my laps - I was maintaining 1:15 per circuit - and multiplied this 75 seconds times 5.5, which equals 412.5 seconds per mile. Divided by 60 this equals 6.875 minutes per mile, or 6:52 per mile. Funny how the basic math of elementary school is so much more useful to me than any Calculus or Algebra I ever learned in high school.

Easy 10k

Easy 10k at 7:20 pace yesterday, I am sort of easing myself into the heat. I think my plan is to gradually build up to more aggressive paces but only after I've given myself a few weeks to adjust. Also I'm drinking a lot more water, I bring a large frozen 2 liter to work with me and finish it by the end of the day. I'm not a "water drinker" so this is a lot for me.

Another 2 hours at the Venetian last night after work.

The first signifcant hand I had A10 on the button with 4 callers to a small preflop raise and flopped top two pair with two clubs out there. After a small bet, I had one caller, a tight asian lady, very difficult to read. The flush got there on the turn, I made a small bet and she thought about it for a second as if thinking of raising and then just called. I was just hoping for the board to pair on the river, it felt like she had made her flush and was trapping - she checked the river card which did not pair the board and I just showed my two pair. She flipped over a 6 high flush to take it down - perhaps she was afraid I had a higher one, but her soft playing there helped me out. Still, my stack was down significantly after that.

The next hand went better for me. I had JJ and called the preflop raise of the Loose Aggressive Player just to my right. Tight Aggressive Player - a lady from Israel who would only play the stone cold nuts - on the button also calls. Flop is 5 10 J two hearts, the first set I've hit in a long time. LAP bets $25, I think for about 10 seconds and raise to $60. TAP goes out. LAP looks at me and says "Are you betting your flush draw?". I just stare at the pot, annoyed that this big hand is happening with the guy right next to me, too close for comfort. After about 10 seconds LAP raises to $150 and I go all in and he calls. He flips AJ for the case jack, I guess he really did think I was getting a bit desperate and overplaying my hand but he is dominated and I take it down.

Leading up to this I had to throw away a lot of hands hitting no flops and so LAP probably thought he could bully me around by betting big, he had a stack of about $1000 at the time. He was no fool and I can see with top pair top kicker and two hearts on board that he just wanted me out of there.

That said, I don't ever play AJ that hard. That's a hand that can get you into lots of trouble. You hit the ace and someone plays back at you strongly, they can easily have a better kicker and then you're just digging yourself a hole.

After that big hand, about 2 hours of play, I left, up about 200.

13.1 miles at 1:30 and 6:53 avg pace

Workout yesterday in the park, I wanted to see if I could still nail down sub 7 minute miles for the full 13. That happened at 6:53, so the next goal is to do the same with a 6:45 avg pace, maybe next week.

Garmin Connect

It's odd but I really don't feel warmed up til after the first 10k. At mile 8 I dropped it to 6:24 to see if I could still maintain under 7 the rest of the way, and it proved easier, if anything, in comparison to the fast 8th mile.

The first hot day in Vegas was today. 101 degrees on my car temp readout. Ouch. More to come. I am taking today off training as a rest day and going instead to a swing dance class downtown - hey, there's some cardio involved there!



I also did a hike the week before with a couple of other desert rats - hard to believe that it was cold enough then to require a fleece, and now it's 100 degree days for the next 3 months, mostly likely. Ah Vegas - hot as the devil's kitchen, bright as his porchlight.

Last Day to register for the St George Marathon

I should have posted this earlier. Today is the last day to register for the lottery for the St George UT Marathon. Here's the link:

St George

Why should you care about this smaller race 2 hours north of Vegas on October 3rd? Because it's USATF certified and has 2500 feet of net elevation drop, which spells PR for anyone who can handle downhills. It's a pretty cool thing, a super fast race.

Quick Run in Green Lake, WA

Last weekend I was in Seattle for two days and had the pleasure of running at a lovely little 3 mile loop around a park lake that goes by the name of Green Lake. It's just north of downtown Seattle. Apparently there's no end of nice running trails in this city so I'm sure if you ever visit you'll find something that works for you quite easily - but still, if you can, run at Green Lake. It's flat and scenic and had lovely blooming cherry trees and many tulips and daffodils. Also the Brooks company HQ outlet store is close in Bothell, where they sell the latest running gear at 50% plus markdowns.

Map of the park and run here:

Garmin Connect

The park was so nice it raised my spirits and despite very little warm up I managed to drop quite a bit below my usual pace - it must have been the lovely surroundings. I love Washington state.

12 Miles at 6:55

So a nice fast long run at the park - only problem is my Garmin died. And then after recharging, it froze up - has been stuck on time/date mode, 5:54:51 to be exact, for about 12 hours now. Very sad. Has anyone else had their Garmin freeze up for no apparent reason? I had not let it run all the way down before, could this be the reason?