Rain?

Good news…the rain held off long enough for me to get in a good walk. I really needed an attitude change so I took off at a pretty good pace and kept it up for the duration. I am not sure of just how far I went, as I had to make cross park detour to the restrooms about midway, but I was walking steady for 84 minutes once more. I thought my pace was a little better than Tuesdays, but…?

And it was exciting to see the water racing down through the park. The color of the water is phenomenal! A clear but deep green with tinges of blue. No babbling brook here!

Rain and more rain

Two days in a row. That’s the best I have been able to do. The weather is not cooperating! And today is supposed to be wet again.

I did get in a full circuit of the park and did it in 84 minutes. Not the kind of times I’m looking for, but certainly healthy times…good for the heart and lungs.

I’m beginning to wonder if I’m cut out for the racewalking game…I was on a good pace the other day when I noticed some flowers I had never seen before. I slowed a little to look at them, wondering if my daughter would know what they were? Then I started thinking about what a great photo I could take if I had my camera with me and if I were to lay down right there and use the macro lens…Oops! I’m going too slow. Snap out of it, Steve…

Sunshine!

A good day in the park…the sun was shining and that was the best news of all.

I started off by going the “wrong” way around the park, the opposite direction from my normal mode. I had noted the rapid rise of water in the creek and I wanted to see what it looked like as it went over the dam by the footbridge, so off I went, heading west. And at first, I was going through all of my usual fumbling and tripping as I tried to come up with a pace that would serve me well.

Things were starting to smooth out when I spotted a couple of homeless or street people, sitting on the sidewalk at the end of the road. They were arguing loudly with each other and didn’t appear to be watching the large pit bull that sat nearby. The dog had his eye on me and when I turned to walk into the park, the dog rose and began to growl. The man snarled at the dog and he sat down again, but I was slightly unnerved now. I hadn’t seen a leash and I wasn’t sure that the man had control of the dog. So I kept turning around as I walked. Finally, after about 5 minutes I was pretty sure the danger was past and began walking with eyes forward.

I had to wonder though; why would anyone keep dogs like that? Then I remembered that if you’re homeless, or just an odd street person, you are likely to be the target of attacks by cowardly groups of neo-(insert name here) that take perverted delight in attacking anyone different than themselves. I guess a dog like that makes some odd sort of sense if you’re hoping to defend yourself.

There were few people in the park this morning, despite it being a great day for a walk. There were some of the familiar faces present and we exchanged waves while passing. And then there were some bicyclists…all rude. And one ruder than the rest, passing me with only inches to spare and never giving me a warning.

One of the many questions that came up while I was walking was “should I continue to racewalk, or should I invest in a training regimen that includes jogging or (Gasp!) running?” I have this debate with myself every few weeks and have never resolved it completely…more on this later.

Let’s see…6.25 miles in 84 minutes. 13.44 minute/miles

And I forgot to tell you about the water; it was within a foot of the top of the pool at One-Mile.

What will I do?

Decisions! Decisions! My plan was to train on Monday and Tuesday...take a break on Wednesday. Return to training on Thursday and Friday; and then make Saturday my long walk day, followed by a day of rest. That's 5 workout days and 2 off...

Well, my art class is on Saturdays and I'm torn now. I hate to give it up...either one.

So I went walking this morning and we'll see how it all shakes out at the end of the month.

I decided to go for speed this morning; it was cold (33 degrees) and I wanted to get back in the truck as soon as possible! So I did a little over 4 miles in 44 minutes. Or about 11 minutes per mile.

A little bit faster now...

90 minutes and 7 miles. That’s a 12.85 minute/mile pace and good enough. Once more I didn’t take my GPS unit or a watch, I was only interested in the 90 minute mark, as I’m looking for endurance this week and not speed.

I had the usual “bad thoughts” versus “good thoughts” arguments for the first 3 miles. “You’ve gone far enough. It’s really cold and you only need to get your heart rate up. You’ve done that…and you can do more tomorrow.” Now that’s a Bad Thought! And I was able to provide a better Good Thought argument and continued on.

Another Foot Note: Beauty is fleeting…and so are toenails. Real beauty lies within…within the middle of a ten minute mile!

Foot Notes

A good walk. I didn't take my GPS unit and I ignored the clock, yet I'm certain that I kept a 13 minute/mile pace for about 6 miles. The plan was for a longer walk, but the rain made the decision for me and I called it quits before I could do the planned 7 miles. The far ranging goals of making certain that my heart and lungs were working were met and that's important.

Chico Creek was running fast and high today. The water is clear; not the usual brownish runoff, but melted snow from the foothills. And where the bridge crosses Chico Creek, at 1-Mile, the water was flowing in a solid sheet over the dam...no splashing, just a thunderous roar as the water dropped over the side of the dam.

Oh, yes...the Foot Note. I'm losing another toenail. That's three gone with one on it's way back. Ugly. But, luckily there is no pain involved with losing a toenail. Only your vanity is affected.

2006 Bidwell Classic 1/2 Marathon & 5K Half Marathon Race Walker

Oh, darn!
Well, my estimate was off...by 3 minutes! I can console myself with the fact that I had aimed for 13 minute miles and had come darn close to it.

Postscripts

A few more thoughts about the Bidwell Classic...

The contestants numbered almost 1,200, a big leap from last years 800+.
There were far too many dogs around the starting area. A lot of excitement and children...dogs were barking and straining at their leashes to join in. What's with that? Can't the dogs stay home for once? What was the purpose of having them there?
And bicycles...the same old Bidwell story...even during a race, the cyclists were cruising through the packs of runners without giving any warning. I saw one (1) cyclist using his bell and I saw two (2) near misses.
And socks...I wore my favorite. Not a good choice. I ended up with blisters on my toes. Always wear "New" socks!
I won...a prize in the drawings after the event. I won a paid entry fee for the Paiute Meadows Trail Run, to be held in Susanville on May 20th. I don't know a thing about it, but I will soon.
And last...just as it happened after the Almond Blossom 5K, I heard some great opera on the radio as I drove home. I turned up the volume and basked in the exuberance that only a great aria can deliver.

Bidwell Classic 1/2 Marathon

The race is over. All of my practice (not enough) came to a climax today when I crossed the mat at the starting line and activated the electronic chip attached to my shoe. And 2 hours and 48 minutes later I crossed the finish line. Tired.

The day began when I got to Bidwell at a little after 8 and found a parking place near the finish. Then it was time to wander around and see if I could see anyone I knew from Roseville. I was pretty sure there would be some walkers from Sierra Race Walkers and I was also hoping to see some runners/walkers from Valley Springs as well. About 8:30, I spotted a few old friends from Sierra Race Walkers and found that they would be doing the ½ Marathon Relay.

Since I was in the second wave to start, I lined up far back of the crowd and tried loosening up with some stretches. That was when I spotted my acquaintance from the Almond Blossom run, the runner who was injured and had begun a second “life” as a walker. We talked for awhile and he asked me what I had planned for a pace per mile. I told him I thought I would try to keep it at 13 minute miles. He said that sounded good to him and that he was going to hang around me for awhile.

The first wave took off and 5 minutes later it was our turn. We walked and talked our way to the first mile and we noted that we had done that one in 12.18 minutes, a little bit fast. The second mile came along and we were at 12.2 minutes, still too fast. We reminded each other that we had done that well during the Almond Blossom and that was only a 5K. I decided to slow it down a little and after another mile, my friend decided to move out a little faster. And it was at this point that I noticed that the field of walkers was thinning out considerably! And after the 5th mile, I was suddenly all alone. Bummer! All I could do was use my watch and try to count for a regular pace. A pace that approximated what I had been doing earlier when I had a crowd to compete with. Trying to do the math in my head was a real pain! I am much happier when I can see someone and then try to overtake them. But I didn’t see anyone until the 9th mile and there I found 3 people in rapid succession and was able to overtake and pass them. Another mile or two went by without competition and then one more was passed. At this point I only had another 2 miles to go. So I tried capitalizing on my second wind and kept up a good pace.

Pretty soon I turned the corner that leads to the timing lane and was most pleasantly surprised to see some friends from Sierra Race Walkers there to encourage me. (Thanks!) And then I was over the mat and my time had been recorded. I tried to estimate, as best I could, and I think it was 2:48? The Chico Running Club will be posting the results later and then I can see the true numbers. The good news; the time is very close to what I had predicted, and I like the fact that I was able to manage my pace that well.

Now it was time to relax, have a couple of bananas and an orange and walk around…slowly. I met my friend, the runner/walker, and he reported that he did it in 2:37. Not bad at all for being injured. And he told me that he had walked for awhile with someone else from Sierra Race Walkers; Sandy Flint, I believe?

The weather. Did I tell you about the weather? The morning was clear and cold. Probably about 40 degrees. The bright sun helped to raise the temperature to close to 50, but not much beyond that. I had layered my top, but just wore shorts. And as long as I was on the south side of the park, it was almost too warm. But once you turned the corner and headed west on the north side, it became quite chilly.  And I think the sun disappeared behind some clouds about the same time the race was ending…for me. Perfect weather. OK, it could have been warmer! But it didn’t rain.

Bad news/Good news. My partner was not able to walk this race with me and that was very disappointing. The good news is that we have a little over 8 weeks to get ready for the Avenue of the Giants marathon and I’m certain we will be in good shape for that one. A couple of weekends in Susanville, doing 18 or 20 miles on the Biz Johnson trail will really help. Susanville is at 4,500 foot elevation and Avenue of the Giants is all at sea level.

Race Day

It’s early on race day and I’m awake after a very restless night. I think it must be because of the race; as my dreams were all race related. I don’t know why this particular race would cause any anxiety, as it’s just another ½ marathon, 13+ miles and I’ve done that plenty of times before. My goal is to finish in 2:45 (12.7 minute/miles) and with any luck at all, I should be able to get close to that.

I’m probably anxious because I won’t have my walking partner with me. With Steven having bronchitis and with crummy weather/roads, Jill will be sitting this one out. Since we had already decided that this was simply a tune-up race, we’re not going to be that far behind in our training for the Avenue of the Giants Marathon in May.

Timing is everything!

I did get in some walking this week. Just not as much as I had planned. This weather has all of my plans in disarray. I got in a 5 miler yesterday and did it in 63 minutes and that's fairly fast. Not my ideal, but certainly enough to get the heart pumping. Let me see...63 divided by 5 equals 12.6 minutes per mile. (I'm using an old calculator that I can barely read...why don't I just buy a new one?) I would say that we're in good shape for the Bidwell Classic in just 2 days from now. I have to pick up my race packet tomorrow and this year, for the first time, the packet will include a timing chip. A great way to run a race!

And here's a photo of the creek that runs through Bidwell. It was running pretty strong yesterday and had created a whirlpool as it descended into the swimming pool section.