I’ve been in downtown San Diego 2 days for a conference, not getting enough sleep. This morning’s run down to the waterfront and around a bit really winded me, but it was an enjoyable time running with my colleague Phil, from MIT.

It is so pretty down there, and there are great running paths that encircle the entire water front.

Did you know... Former professional ballet dancer Zippora Karz was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes at age 21 (from The Diabetic Athlete)
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Darn! I cannot find my lovely little iPod Shuffle. So today I had to go running without any audio stimulation, and it actually was not bad. I did a nice long loop, more than 6 miles, around the canals and down Pima.

It’s been a long, long time since my wife and I did a desert hike, so today was a cross training today as we did the new Sunrise Trail on the east end of the McDowell Mountains in Scottsdale. This is part of the McDowell Sonoran Preserve, a refreshingly outgoing effort by the city to keep tens of thousands of acres of beautiful desert free from development and asphalt.

This trail is no flat desert wander– it climbs 1200 feet in 2 miles to Sunrise Peak, which offers a commanding, sweeiping view of all of Phoenix, Mesa, out tot he Superstitions (the top of Weaver’s Needle), 4 Peaks, Fountain Hills, and the rugged wilderness to the north.

It was a great workout for the calves, and for the spirit as well- the desert is just life giving to me just by being there.

I awoke 5:10Am this morning, kind of cranky. I’ve been working laste for a presentation at a conference next week, and I was pretty low on the running motivation meter.

So I started the coffee machine.

Not much effect.

I dawdled getting ready.

Nope, no getting out of it.

I hoped for maybe just a few miles to stay on track, but something weird happened. Right out of the gate, I had a stronger than normal pace, and I felt GOOOOOOD. And I maintained it, and the more I ran, the better it felt. Am I high? Dreaming? I ended up running a brand new route (just to shake up the routine), and went farther and faster than 2 days ago.

This was one of the best days I have ever felt running.

When I started running last September, 3 miles seemed to be a good “average” run, which was before than, my own long distance record. Now that I am in second round of training, I am hoping a 5 mile jaunt becomes “just an everyday run”.

So today I ran 5 miles- my loop around Chaparral Lake, over to the Canals and around to Granite Reef Road. My pace was a bit stronger than the “just keep moving” shuffle I was doing in October. It felt good to be out, a week after the Rock and Roll Half Marathon.

And it was a bit faster than I have ever run this loop.

One day at a time.

Okay, enough waxing about past accomplishments, I am ready for the next challenge. To keep the training and fitness going, I have decided to register for the March 12, 2006 Valley of the Sun Half Marathon, run in Mesa, AZ.

This one will be different, as the training is all on me. I was ready to start running this weekend (actually last week), but maybe got lazy, and just relaxed. But I have reset my training clock miles, and will hit the streets again this week.

Again, I want to prove to myself that I really do not hate running (hence the graphic change at the top), and would like to cut my time to 2:10. We will see.

I medaled!

Well this is likely the best result of the race- getting the hefty medal at the finish line. Wow did that feel good! I’m not sure what I do with it, but it was great to wear for the post-race hooplah.

Sometime Sunday night the results were posted online and I will have a few more photos to publish when I develop the disposable camera I had carried:

My half-marathon numbers

Okay, so I finished in 2:23 and I did have an unsaid goal/hope for better that 2:30. My pace was a shade under 11 minutes per mile, with a 10k split two minutes slower than running the New Times 10k.

I do think I could have done better, maybe 2:15, and I remember about 1/3 the way in thinking, “Do I push hard or do I just finish and say that is enough?” and I more or less chose the latter.

The night before was fairly routine… well not, I’ve never prepared for a half-marathon before, There was getting my gear ready, trying to drink lots of water, getting the timing chip ready on the shoe, trying to drink lots of water, deciding what to carry, trying to drink lots of water.

Getting ready the night before

With 2 alarms sent, I woke up and got going on time as planned to get down to the parking area at ASU, but underestimated the company. Traffic inched south of Rural Road, and it soon closed west of Rio Salado Parkway. I was able to nudge east and got into the lot east of Sun Angel stadium, and ended up pretty darn close to the finish area. But by the time I boarded a bus it the line of others waiting was wrapping the end of the lot (note to self, arrive half an our earlier next year).

People were lauered up in heavy tops and rain gear, but I know how quickly it warms, and that our local weatyher forecasters are pair liars, so I was down to a tank top and shorts (better to start a little colder).

We arrived to the start area around 7:20 AM, missing the Team-D group photo by a few minutes. With all the extra hybdration, I needed a restroom pretty badly, and I had company! I took the advice I heard the day previously at the Expo, and got back in line, and by the time that was done, I left my gear bag at the dropoff, and it was time to get to the starting area.

Runners are grouped by “Corrals”, roped off areas on Jefferson Street for 1000 runners based on estimated start time. Our Team-D group has all closen a 2:30 time so we’d start together, and we had a rowdy group of matbe 25 among the crowd. The corrals are released in waves (it does not matter exactly when you start as the tiniug chips attached to our shoes record our personal start and finish). It was 8:30, and the first corral was released, but looked like it would be 15 minutes before our start. There was time for one more needed and necessary porta potty break (the lines were much smaller, and that worked well).

By 8:50 we were inching forward walking, and then we were below the start line among the yellow balloons. And just like that we were off! Slow and easy, slow end easy, was the plan. And so the crowd moved, east o Jefferson, north on 7th Avenue. People were dropping their gloves and layers quickly as the sun made it very warm very quickly. We passed maybe 2 bands before heading east on McDowell. The first few miles felt good, at about a 10:30 minute per mile pace. The only thing wrong with my pace was it seemed I got to most of the first few bands as they were finishing a song!

It seemed to get very very quickly! It felt the hottes of any running I had done, and took advantage of most water stops. The crowd pertty much was the same desnity of tunners (a lot), and you needed to weave quite a bit (saw one nasty runner collision, but both were okay and got off the ground). The people along the way were great, hand slapping, cheerleaders, yelling encouragement to strangers.

Right around mile 7.5, I was fortunate to be greeted by my wife, who got some good photos of me crusing by just south of McDowell. Why am I smiling so damn much? It looks like I am enjoying myself.

Why is the person who “hates” running smiling?

It was sometime after all the smiles, I felt a bit lagging, and slowed down knowing of the long gentle hill climbing east on Van Buren. You could see just a sea of runners snaking up the roaf ahead. And what a sight it was to crest the hill, to see Tempe, and know there was just 2 miles to cruise in to the end.

The crowd and adrenaline at the finish was awesome, though my “kick” was sputtering. The lane seemed to keep curving back and around behind Sun Devil Stadium.

And the crows and group energy of accomplishment was tremendous. There must have been (actually I have no idea) 60,000 friends, family, runners, support staff there. I completely forgot to look at my watch to guess the time (I knew it was less than 2:30). We got our heavy metals, turned in timing chips, picked up fruit and munchies.

I was pretty drained, grabbed my free beer, and headed home, knowing the traffic would be tricky, and knew I was too tired to hang around for the 8:00 PM concert (I hope Collective Soul put on a great show!).

And like that it was over. My legs were not too stiff, and the most achy parts were the bottoms of my feet. I am proud of doing this, with a tinge of regret I did not finish a little stronger. But maybe next time….

And thus, I find I could do a half marathon. Plots in my head unfolde to a year from now abiout perhaps doubling the distance, and changing this site to “I May Not Hate Running” (not ready for full on love).

More to write later, but for anyone hanging on pins and needles, I successfully completed the PF Changs Rock and Roll Half Marathon. I;ll need to wait until times are posted (and I did not even look at my watch), but my time was about 2:25. I faded a little bit on the lat 2/3 but this was pretty much my goal.

I will post pictures and other sweaty tales later, but it feels darn good to have this one checked off.

Congrats to my Team D runing mates- y’all are awesom.

I’ve been logging miles in my own spreadsheet to manage some the stats posted on this site, and I also set it up in Excel to chart weekly miles. Here is the summary for the last 15 weeks:

click image to see full sized chart

Each of the climbing jagged peaks represents the stepping up of the miles as set out in our Team-D training schedule, and I am glad I made it through the lon gaps in November, with a week+ lost to a sore knee and another week after Thanksgiving down with a cold.

The total was just over 190 miles running. I had 150+ miles biking, but that was mostly in the first two months, but I am eager to get back in the biking saddle.

And after tomorrow, there will be a big 13 mile spike on the right side!

Well it is a quiet day before race day… and I must say I am pretty eager to go! This mornig we were supposed to do just a gentle 2 mile run, with some stretchig in between, and I am folling traingin instructions.

It does feel weired (and some of my Team-D team-mates agree) during this 2+ week “tapering” down to be running such low amounts compared top say the last 2 months. You wonder if it is still in there. You hope you do not catch something from all those people sneezing and sniffling at work and at the grocery stores. You hope you do not get into a fender bender and wrench your back.

And of all things, after almost 90 days of rain-less, warm Phoenix perfect runing weather, you wonder if the cold front moving in from California is going to dump rain tomorrow?

We had a wonderful team celebration last night at Buca De Beppos in Scottsdale, shoving the pasta and bread down, sharing stores, thaking our organizers, etc.

Today I have to get downtown to pick up my race numbers and just try to relax. Actually, I also have to take down the holiday lights from the house, clean the pool, and remove the piles of leaves that have accumulated in our yard (Autumn is much later here in Phoenix). Oh, and there is this matter of a leaking water heater in our utility room and the promised 24 hour re-plccement ad we answered that now is looking like 3 days from now.

But that’s all unimportant.

Let’s run!

See you on the other side of the finish line.