Ok, finally getting to it. This weekend I continued my journey through the Big Baz WTRS Trail Race Series (which is exactly what the T and the R and the S stand for!). Oh well!
So, I plodded through the 12k. I slogged through a sloppy slippery 15k. Now I was on to the 18k. Weather was just about perfect for this one. Started off halfway decent and fell in with group of runners along the single track. Hard to pass so basically we went roughly 3.5 miles in line. Then there was a separation and I ended up with 2 other runners. Basically we were together all the way to the end. A lot of carnage on this race. One of the victims was Doug Malewicki.
He wouldn't clean his wounds until everyone got their pictures of them!
There were quite a few others who came in with blood dripping. One had cuts on his forehead from doing a faceplant .
I got through unscathed! Finished in about 2:12 which I seem to be every race 10 minutes slower than 3 years ago.
Oh well, guess it ain't no big deal. As long as I finish.
Stiffened up by the time I got back to San Diego. Spent the rest of the day drinking fluids and trying to recover. Had a nice nap. Got up from my nap and THEN went to bed!
Next morning was feeling pretty good and put in a run with some nice hills in it and worked out any stiffness I had.
21k coming up in 2 weeks. After that not sure about the 30k.

Excellent run tonight! Just what I needed. Went to inmotionfit training run. Ran all the way with Juan. And you better want to run fast if you intend to stay with him! Quite a bit faster pace than I had planned on but it was really good to push myself to hang with Juan.
Started out kind of slow.Finally passing everyone to lead the pack to the Hilton. Saw our fearless leader and local TV personality Katie fresh off her appearance on the Sunday local news to tell us STUFF...about running! Anyways, we waited for the pack and then headed back to the Star of India. Juan increasing the pace little by little. We decided to run to the Coast Guard turnaround. We ended up running in the low 8:00 pace for the last 2+ miles. Got in 5 miles and felt great afterwards.
Juan is off to Maui for a half marathon this weekend and a lot of other people are doing Carlsbad Sunday. I'm off to the mountains again for another spectacular blazingly fast trail race Saturday!!!

A little late with this post but that happens! Did the Baz WTRS 12k trail race Saturday. Turned out to be perfect weather. Headed in to pick up my number and heard someone calling my name... One of my many fans??? Well yeah kinda, the ONLY one at this race. Lauren was there volunteering and taking pics all day.

Started the race off too fast. Finally pulled off to the side and left the pack I was with. Caught my breath and tried to hang with the next group of runners. Never quite got in my comfort zone til a little over 3 miles in. Tough recovering when I start too fast. I seem to have that problem mainly in trail races I do. Road races I seem ok with. Somehow I seem to think I should be maintaining the pace on the trail as I do on the road and consequently I run way too fast at the start. Then it all blows up and I struggle to get back to a pace I can maintain just to finish. Need to race smarter!

Anyways, finally got feeling ok and comfortable but still feel I should run more and walk way less. Love the downhills that were just before the final roughly 2 miles up to the finish. Plus the last little run into the finish on the pavement was nice too!
Finished right at about 50% of the field. 75th out of 148... Will do better in the 15k in a couple weeks!
Stuck around for the post race Bazfest. It's worth the drive just to be there there for Baz to hand out the awards and then the raffle. Truly one of a kind!!!

Overall I guess I should be happy but I always look back at what I should've and could've done different. Doesn't help this race but maybe future ones.

Was happy to see Lauren and it takes people like her volunteering all race day to make it possible. And she got me to pose for a pic! Not an easy task!

Aaaahhhh, a nice Sunday morning run. Started at the Star of India on San Diego Bay, went through Seaport Village and then did a loop of North Embarcadero then over to a loop of South Embarcadero near the Convention Center and headed towards the Hilton where I turned around and did the same run in reverse. One exception was I did a loop of Tuna Harbor right next to the USS Midway on the way back. Ended up being 6.3 miles. Took it kind of leisurely today and ended with a 9:09 average pace.

So 2011 should be a good running year for me. Seems like the odd numbered years I stay healthy, even numbered years I get hurt... Probably just jinxed myself!!!!
But I am planning some races. Right now will be working towards a couple of the Big Baz Trail Races... Yes a couple, because you HAVE to do 2 races in his series to get a T-shirt!!!!
And then some more trail races after that.

Funny how one day you wonder if you should do something and then less than 12 hours later you get the answer. I will NOT be doing 2 races on the weekend of the Carlsbad Half. Hell, I'll be real lucky to make the starting line of the Half! More on that to come.

Big Baz Trail Race today in the mtns above Lake Elsinore. Perfect weather for running. About 53 when I got there and 59 when I left. Anyways, we got lined up and took off up the paved road to the start of the trails. For the most part the first 3.5 miles were downhill. Maintained a really good pace thru 3.5 miles, right at a 9:20 pace. Feeling really good at this point and then WHAM BAM not even a thank you ma'am and all of a sudden I stepped wrong on a rock and wrenched my ankle like a motherf--k! It was a grinding, ripping feeling and sound that went thru my entire body! I left my medical degree home today (I usually carry it with me) but I knew right away this wasn't a good thing! So i figured I could walk over 4 miles back in or just continue running. Well, I ran and it didn't feel TOO bad. So I plodded along and it became somewhat harder planting my foot on rocks or uneven ground without it giving away a little bit. I ended up stumbling 3 times that I'll admit to...Not a surprise to some people who realize I have trouble staying on my feet. 1 time took quite a hit on my hand and it was cut and bloody but it turned out to be pretty much a nothing of a cut. But I can be a big baby sometimes and thought immediately of being rescued by helicopter! That thought passed like a bad bean burrito and I picked myself up and did my best Pee Wee Herman, I meant to do that, to whoever was around.
Then we had a nice steep downhill stretch and then the last 2miles or so were all a steady up hill climb. Once off the trail towards the finish, sprinted all the way in and finished in 1:27 something for a 10:36 avg pace for a 52nd place finish out of 160 runners. Not bad for a hobbling, stumbling and falling my way thru the trails.

Took off immediately because I knew my ankle would only get worse as it tighted and swelled past any normal intended size. Made a frantic call to my personal nurse and YES she was available! Once back in SD I got an ice pack, cuts cleaned (which now look really small and kind of feel embarrassed to make a big deal of them). But my hand DOES hurt! So there...

So 2010 starts this way. Can only get better and better... So now I have put running the Carlsbad Half in jeopardy. But I have a feeling *I will be there no matter what

Kind of a good run yesterday at inmotionfit 6 mile run. Started really not feeling very good. Struggled thru 4 1/2 miles of it and then kicked it into overdrive. Went from 9:10 pace to running under 8 min miles. My goal was to get my avg pace under 9. Sub 8 min pace almost killed me! Made it, but thought I blew a gasket! 8:58 pace for 6.1 miles. Would have been my fastest 10k but... Have only run one 10k race each year (when it wasn't canceled from rain or fire), Horno Ridge/Buffalo Alley at Camp Pendleton. Not exactly your normal 10k race but my only experience at that mileage.