Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Breaking News - Wigglesworth Takes the Top Spot
After an absolutely prolific road racing season, Henry Wigglesworth has returned to the top of the Washington Running Report rankings for the 50-54 year old age group. Henry would like to clarify for the record that he is 53, not 54. Aside from that one issue, he otherwise has no quibbles with WRR's reporting.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Brian and Farah's bike trip. Or-a- (going, going) gone.
Oregon is Ore...gone. The quick recap: amazingly beautiful coast line, Portland the capital of bike and vegan-friendliness, great weather (except maybe 1 1/2 days of rain), 0 bike problems, 350+ miles of lovely biking.
Crossed into Oregon from Washington via the Astoria bridge - 4.2 miles with a pretty steep uphill, traffic and an OK shoulder. Being bike-friendly Oregon there was a button to push at the beginning that started a flashing sign to alert cars: "Bikes on Bridge." Cruised down the hill into the cute town of Astoria and found a great brew pub (Fort George) with over 15 microbrews and lots of vegan food on the menu. We love Oregon. After dinner and a few beers, we biked in a semi-drunk state nine miles to our campground.
The next morning, we headed out to Tillamook where our bus to Portland was leaving from the next morning. We rode through picturesque Cannon Beach and checked out the seastacks (big rocks coming out of the ocean) then headed up some serious hills and through our first Oregon tunnel. Immediately after crossing into Tillamook county, the road quality diminished. We googled a campground in Tillamook which ended up directing us to the forestry services building - not a campground. We asked some locals hanging out across the street where they would suggest camping and they directed us to a field behind the fairgrounds down the street (or the backyard of a sibling's former foreclosed house). It was starting to rain a bit and we needed water to cook with and a dry place to cook and eat dinner. Luckily, the Quickmart (though closed) offered all of these things! We made use of their water spout and covered picnic table and fired up the campstove to make a lovely dinner. (This was the first of a few ridiculous cooking spots brought about by rain which also include a town gazebo during lunch and under a bridge with a great view of the ocean.) Then, headed to the fairgrounds to sleep with the slugs and listen to Ranchero music from a nearby barn party. Worked out quite well.
Headed into Portland - hit up one of their fine vegan bakeries and headed out again to bike the Columbia River Gorge. So beautiful! In just 25 miles we saw about 12 waterfalls, hiked through beautiful forests and through the gorge. Amazing views of the river from the vistas along the bike ride. The view of the river valley from the first vista seriously rivaled Deception Pass as the best view of the tour. The next day, our friend Shayne picked us up to return to Portland giving us an extra day of biking (without touring bags) and hiking through the forests. Portland was awesome! Shayne and Melissa were amazing hosts - taking us on a vegan culinary tour of Portland (Melissa introduced Brian to wiffie pies which he continues to dream about every night), hooking Farah up with clipless pedals and shoes at the bike coop and then driving us out to the coast and camping with us at Cape Lookout where we all - including Misha, cutest dog ever - played on the giant sand dunes nearby and saw whales off the coast!
Continuing South along the coast Oregon was non-stop amazingly beautiful. It seems like almost the entire coast is part of the state park system. There are state parks and campgrounds (with free showers - thanks Oregon) every few miles and it seems like most of the coast is preserved and undeveloped - other than a few towns here and there. As we biked down the coast of Oregon we stopped to explore and hike - we visited estuaries, tidepools, sand dunes, beaches, lighthouses, giant rocks coming out of the ocean and a swamp of carnivorous plants. One of the more amazing places was Devil's Churn where violent waves crashed and churned along a chasm of volcanic black rock - and we saw a starfish in a tidepool (while keeping an eye out for killer Sneaker Waves.) We also liked Thunder Rock Cove where we climbed out over the ocean on the arch of a giant rock (and Brian only sort of slipped.)
Oregon was also super-hilly - one infamous area was Seven Devil's Rd where we rode along the crests of a mountain with 7 peaks. (Oregon likes naming things after the Devil...) On the day we saw our longest hills in Oregon, we also saw the "Worlds Shortest River" ("D" River) and the World's Smallest Harbor and lots of rain except at Cape Foulweather where the weather was perfect. Oh, and dolphins off the coast! We learned that Cape is code for really freakin steep hill that sometimes, like in the case of Cape Arago, have amazing views and beautiful hills and often has very fun downhills. Cape Arago also had sea lions barking off the coast and seals swimming about. Coming down Cape Sebastian traffic was only able to go one way at a time - we ended up behind the lead highway car riding our brakes so as not to pass them at 36 MPH.
Other random highlights: baby skunks on the beach (so cute), awesome tailwinds, meeting lots of other folks bike touring and hanging with them at the campgrounds (including 2 who happened to have a coffee grinder - yes, on their bike tip - just when we needed one), riding on the Old Coast highway which was beautiful and carless and watching a windsurfing competition at Pistol River.
The downsides: strong crosswinds that threatened to blow Farah into traffic, a school bus trying to run Farah off the road and not finding Puffins.
All said: an awesome time.
Crossed into Oregon from Washington via the Astoria bridge - 4.2 miles with a pretty steep uphill, traffic and an OK shoulder. Being bike-friendly Oregon there was a button to push at the beginning that started a flashing sign to alert cars: "Bikes on Bridge." Cruised down the hill into the cute town of Astoria and found a great brew pub (Fort George) with over 15 microbrews and lots of vegan food on the menu. We love Oregon. After dinner and a few beers, we biked in a semi-drunk state nine miles to our campground.
The next morning, we headed out to Tillamook where our bus to Portland was leaving from the next morning. We rode through picturesque Cannon Beach and checked out the seastacks (big rocks coming out of the ocean) then headed up some serious hills and through our first Oregon tunnel. Immediately after crossing into Tillamook county, the road quality diminished. We googled a campground in Tillamook which ended up directing us to the forestry services building - not a campground. We asked some locals hanging out across the street where they would suggest camping and they directed us to a field behind the fairgrounds down the street (or the backyard of a sibling's former foreclosed house). It was starting to rain a bit and we needed water to cook with and a dry place to cook and eat dinner. Luckily, the Quickmart (though closed) offered all of these things! We made use of their water spout and covered picnic table and fired up the campstove to make a lovely dinner. (This was the first of a few ridiculous cooking spots brought about by rain which also include a town gazebo during lunch and under a bridge with a great view of the ocean.) Then, headed to the fairgrounds to sleep with the slugs and listen to Ranchero music from a nearby barn party. Worked out quite well.
Headed into Portland - hit up one of their fine vegan bakeries and headed out again to bike the Columbia River Gorge. So beautiful! In just 25 miles we saw about 12 waterfalls, hiked through beautiful forests and through the gorge. Amazing views of the river from the vistas along the bike ride. The view of the river valley from the first vista seriously rivaled Deception Pass as the best view of the tour. The next day, our friend Shayne picked us up to return to Portland giving us an extra day of biking (without touring bags) and hiking through the forests. Portland was awesome! Shayne and Melissa were amazing hosts - taking us on a vegan culinary tour of Portland (Melissa introduced Brian to wiffie pies which he continues to dream about every night), hooking Farah up with clipless pedals and shoes at the bike coop and then driving us out to the coast and camping with us at Cape Lookout where we all - including Misha, cutest dog ever - played on the giant sand dunes nearby and saw whales off the coast!
Continuing South along the coast Oregon was non-stop amazingly beautiful. It seems like almost the entire coast is part of the state park system. There are state parks and campgrounds (with free showers - thanks Oregon) every few miles and it seems like most of the coast is preserved and undeveloped - other than a few towns here and there. As we biked down the coast of Oregon we stopped to explore and hike - we visited estuaries, tidepools, sand dunes, beaches, lighthouses, giant rocks coming out of the ocean and a swamp of carnivorous plants. One of the more amazing places was Devil's Churn where violent waves crashed and churned along a chasm of volcanic black rock - and we saw a starfish in a tidepool (while keeping an eye out for killer Sneaker Waves.) We also liked Thunder Rock Cove where we climbed out over the ocean on the arch of a giant rock (and Brian only sort of slipped.)
Oregon was also super-hilly - one infamous area was Seven Devil's Rd where we rode along the crests of a mountain with 7 peaks. (Oregon likes naming things after the Devil...) On the day we saw our longest hills in Oregon, we also saw the "Worlds Shortest River" ("D" River) and the World's Smallest Harbor and lots of rain except at Cape Foulweather where the weather was perfect. Oh, and dolphins off the coast! We learned that Cape is code for really freakin steep hill that sometimes, like in the case of Cape Arago, have amazing views and beautiful hills and often has very fun downhills. Cape Arago also had sea lions barking off the coast and seals swimming about. Coming down Cape Sebastian traffic was only able to go one way at a time - we ended up behind the lead highway car riding our brakes so as not to pass them at 36 MPH.
Other random highlights: baby skunks on the beach (so cute), awesome tailwinds, meeting lots of other folks bike touring and hanging with them at the campgrounds (including 2 who happened to have a coffee grinder - yes, on their bike tip - just when we needed one), riding on the Old Coast highway which was beautiful and carless and watching a windsurfing competition at Pistol River.The downsides: strong crosswinds that threatened to blow Farah into traffic, a school bus trying to run Farah off the road and not finding Puffins.
All said: an awesome time.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Friday Drills 'N Strides
Leave 12th & Penn at 6:40 AM
Drills and strides on grass. A chance to work on form and efficiency.
Drills and strides on grass. A chance to work on form and efficiency.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Grandma's Marathon - Dan's Recap
Marathons are crazy things, at least the way some people (i.e. me) run them. How you do in those two-plus hours is decided by and also passes judgment on a rather large chunk of your life during the previous four to five months. Most shorter races are these local affairs where you might show up the morning of, slap on a number, and sketch out a vague notion of a plan moments before the gun goes off, all the while knowing that if things don't go all that well, it's no big deal because another 10k is right around the corner. Their frequency and mundane nature allow you to avoid investing completely. A marathon is totally different, because it is undeniably the final and only product of months and months of blood, sweat, and more sweat. If you fail, there is no safety net, there is (for all practical purposes) no chance for redemption the next week, there is only tearing down and building it all back up six months later. And no matter how many good workouts you do, no matter what sort of training splits you hit, the only "indicator of fitness" that is really convincing is the clock at the end of the race. Given all the stakes in a marathon, I am more than happy with how Grandma's turned out for me, and am also ecstatic with how it turned out for PJ.
Going into Grandma's, the build-up had gone great. Relying on the mad genius of Pemberton in adapting a Hanson's-style plan into a rather compressed period, PJ and I did workouts that were more ambitious than anything I had done before. 11 mile tempos, 4 X 3 mile intervals, 2 X 6 miles, 9 X 1 mile, 26.2 km, were just some of the highlights. Based on these workouts, I thought that if things went well at Grandma's, I'd have a chance to run 5:55 pace through the race (2:35), which would be almost a two minute PR. The weather forecast called for perfect racing conditions. All systems were go...except for a cold, cough, and sore throat I picked up a few days before the race!
On the pre-dawn bus ride from Duluth to Two Harbors, my body was swimming with the snake oils taken to ward off the cold. Echinecea, 2000 mg of Vitamin C, B vitamins, Eye of Newt, on top of the usual cocktail of Ultra Fuel, gel, and bagel. I didn't feel great getting to the line, but I knew that race adrenaline can make a big difference in overcoming minor setbacks. And sure enough, while the cold caused a healthy river of mucous to run down my face (for ample evidence, just check out the race photos!) and some minor breathing problems, I'd say it was an annoyance but not a huge problem.
For me, the race divided into four major segments. The first was the 13 miles heading out of Two Harbors on a tree-lined Highway 61 ("...you can do want you want Abe, but, next time you see me you better run...") that I knew going in would have sparse crowds but great views of Lake Superior. Well, I don't remember too much of the lake, to be honest. What I do remember was thinking right after the first mile, when I had gone out in 6:03 (m1), 'man, there are a LOT of people running faster than me.' I spent most of this time running near the super fast Dot McMahon. It was a real kick to see the Hanson brothers (one of the big inspirations in our own training) tracking her progress and shouting out encouragement every couple miles. My splits over the first stretch: 5:53 m2, 5:51 m3, 5:54 m4, 5:51 m5, 5:50 m6, 11:39 m7-8, 5:55 m9, 5:48 m10, 5:56 m11, 5:51 m12, 5:53 m13. 1/2 Marathon split of 1:17:10 (probably a PR, not sure). A little quicker than what I had originally planned, but I didn't really feel like slowing down a couple ticks per mile was going to make a difference at that point.
The second segment of the race was from mile 13 to 18, which represented the last stretch of scenic Highway 61. From my scouting of the course the day before, I saw that starting around 19 or so (as we entered Duluth proper), there was a very slight but steady rise in the course that seemed to last a few miles. As a result, I knew that staying controlled over the second stretch would be key to getting over the next part unscathed, so I focused on fast but controlled running. By this point, McMahon was off in the distance, the result of her kicking it into 6th gear and dropping some 5:40's, but I still had plenty of other folks breathing down my neck and also strung out in front of me. My splits through this stretch: 5:43 m14, 5:50 m15, 5:46 m16, 5:50 m17, 5:48 m18.
The third segment of the race was from mile 19 through 23, which was the beginning of Duluth. We ran through some suburban neighborhoods and up a very slight incline, culminating in Lemon Drop Hill and Mile 22. The moderate incline actually felt great, given that it seemed to activate some other leg muscles that had otherwise gone unused. And Lemon Drop Hill was not too nasty or brutish but it was short. Meaning not too bad. Splits were: 5:46 m19, 5:53 m20, 5:54 m21, 5:55 m22, 5:54 m23.
The final stretch of the race wound through downtown Duluth. After cresting Lemon Drop Hill, I was still generally on pace, but was taken a little by surprise when two guys went roaring past me around Mile 24. Given the way I usually run marathons (with fairly even splits), I haven't run too many where I get passed in the second half. The thought occurred to me, 'wow, this is a REALLY good unseeded field.' I responded as best as I could and let their momentum tether me along for the next mile. (Mile 24: 5:54) Hitting Mile 25, we started winding back and forth along the Duluth waterfront and I was really starting to fade. The two guys who passed me were long gone, but I did see two others who were still in striking distance who seemed to be struggling. Deep in the tank, I remember a little negative thought creep in: 'do I really want to go after these guys and make the final half mile a do-or-die sprint? That is really going to hurt.' Summoning one last bit of willpower, I pushed the thought out of my foggy brain and decided to go after them. I closed on the first guy fairly quickly, and about 600 meters from the finish, I caught and passed him as decisively as I could (to discourage him from responding). I made the final turn and saw the last runner some 20 or 30 meters in front of me, with only 200 meters left. I gave one final push and with my...limited...version of a sprint, I managed to nip him just at the line. (Mile 26: 6:08 - those turns really took it out of me!, 26.2: 1:10. Final time: 2:34:03. Previous best: 2:36:52). A great way to cap the my best marathon so far, with an unprecedented (for me) successful sprint finish. I was stumbling around the finish area when PJ finished a few minutes later in 2:40, checking in himself with a huge 9 minute PR.
A big thanks to Alan for being the architect of my training plan, riding support on so many workouts, and generally fulfilling his role as our group's Yoda. Also, a big thanks to PJ, who pushed me in every hard workout this cycle. Looking forward to a big fall season training with Geoff, Chris, Brian, Richard, Sarah, Christine, and the rest of the Dojo crew. Look forward to seeing new members and injured members make their (re)appearance as we prepare for Philadelphia!
Going into Grandma's, the build-up had gone great. Relying on the mad genius of Pemberton in adapting a Hanson's-style plan into a rather compressed period, PJ and I did workouts that were more ambitious than anything I had done before. 11 mile tempos, 4 X 3 mile intervals, 2 X 6 miles, 9 X 1 mile, 26.2 km, were just some of the highlights. Based on these workouts, I thought that if things went well at Grandma's, I'd have a chance to run 5:55 pace through the race (2:35), which would be almost a two minute PR. The weather forecast called for perfect racing conditions. All systems were go...except for a cold, cough, and sore throat I picked up a few days before the race!
On the pre-dawn bus ride from Duluth to Two Harbors, my body was swimming with the snake oils taken to ward off the cold. Echinecea, 2000 mg of Vitamin C, B vitamins, Eye of Newt, on top of the usual cocktail of Ultra Fuel, gel, and bagel. I didn't feel great getting to the line, but I knew that race adrenaline can make a big difference in overcoming minor setbacks. And sure enough, while the cold caused a healthy river of mucous to run down my face (for ample evidence, just check out the race photos!) and some minor breathing problems, I'd say it was an annoyance but not a huge problem.
For me, the race divided into four major segments. The first was the 13 miles heading out of Two Harbors on a tree-lined Highway 61 ("...you can do want you want Abe, but, next time you see me you better run...") that I knew going in would have sparse crowds but great views of Lake Superior. Well, I don't remember too much of the lake, to be honest. What I do remember was thinking right after the first mile, when I had gone out in 6:03 (m1), 'man, there are a LOT of people running faster than me.' I spent most of this time running near the super fast Dot McMahon. It was a real kick to see the Hanson brothers (one of the big inspirations in our own training) tracking her progress and shouting out encouragement every couple miles. My splits over the first stretch: 5:53 m2, 5:51 m3, 5:54 m4, 5:51 m5, 5:50 m6, 11:39 m7-8, 5:55 m9, 5:48 m10, 5:56 m11, 5:51 m12, 5:53 m13. 1/2 Marathon split of 1:17:10 (probably a PR, not sure). A little quicker than what I had originally planned, but I didn't really feel like slowing down a couple ticks per mile was going to make a difference at that point.
The second segment of the race was from mile 13 to 18, which represented the last stretch of scenic Highway 61. From my scouting of the course the day before, I saw that starting around 19 or so (as we entered Duluth proper), there was a very slight but steady rise in the course that seemed to last a few miles. As a result, I knew that staying controlled over the second stretch would be key to getting over the next part unscathed, so I focused on fast but controlled running. By this point, McMahon was off in the distance, the result of her kicking it into 6th gear and dropping some 5:40's, but I still had plenty of other folks breathing down my neck and also strung out in front of me. My splits through this stretch: 5:43 m14, 5:50 m15, 5:46 m16, 5:50 m17, 5:48 m18.
The third segment of the race was from mile 19 through 23, which was the beginning of Duluth. We ran through some suburban neighborhoods and up a very slight incline, culminating in Lemon Drop Hill and Mile 22. The moderate incline actually felt great, given that it seemed to activate some other leg muscles that had otherwise gone unused. And Lemon Drop Hill was not too nasty or brutish but it was short. Meaning not too bad. Splits were: 5:46 m19, 5:53 m20, 5:54 m21, 5:55 m22, 5:54 m23.
The final stretch of the race wound through downtown Duluth. After cresting Lemon Drop Hill, I was still generally on pace, but was taken a little by surprise when two guys went roaring past me around Mile 24. Given the way I usually run marathons (with fairly even splits), I haven't run too many where I get passed in the second half. The thought occurred to me, 'wow, this is a REALLY good unseeded field.' I responded as best as I could and let their momentum tether me along for the next mile. (Mile 24: 5:54) Hitting Mile 25, we started winding back and forth along the Duluth waterfront and I was really starting to fade. The two guys who passed me were long gone, but I did see two others who were still in striking distance who seemed to be struggling. Deep in the tank, I remember a little negative thought creep in: 'do I really want to go after these guys and make the final half mile a do-or-die sprint? That is really going to hurt.' Summoning one last bit of willpower, I pushed the thought out of my foggy brain and decided to go after them. I closed on the first guy fairly quickly, and about 600 meters from the finish, I caught and passed him as decisively as I could (to discourage him from responding). I made the final turn and saw the last runner some 20 or 30 meters in front of me, with only 200 meters left. I gave one final push and with my...limited...version of a sprint, I managed to nip him just at the line. (Mile 26: 6:08 - those turns really took it out of me!, 26.2: 1:10. Final time: 2:34:03. Previous best: 2:36:52). A great way to cap the my best marathon so far, with an unprecedented (for me) successful sprint finish. I was stumbling around the finish area when PJ finished a few minutes later in 2:40, checking in himself with a huge 9 minute PR.
A big thanks to Alan for being the architect of my training plan, riding support on so many workouts, and generally fulfilling his role as our group's Yoda. Also, a big thanks to PJ, who pushed me in every hard workout this cycle. Looking forward to a big fall season training with Geoff, Chris, Brian, Richard, Sarah, Christine, and the rest of the Dojo crew. Look forward to seeing new members and injured members make their (re)appearance as we prepare for Philadelphia!
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Grandma's results
personal best at 2:40. PJ has been running seriously for only 2 to 3
years, and is already running some legit times.
For me, I went into this race with some serious trepidation given I
felt a cold coming on the past 3 days. Conditions were fantastic,
however, and I ran a 2:34 flat. About a 2.5 minute personal best.
About to crash now
Friday, June 17, 2011
Grandma's Marathon Après Le Deluge
sweat on the streets of Hains Point. Four months of doing the workout
that helps you do the workout that helps you do the workout that helps
you do the workout that may possibly help you get five seconds faster
a mile. All for 2.5 hours in Duluth, Minnesota.
PJ and I scouted the course today. Weather conditions are favorable,
with temps expected to be in the 50s, with a fair tailwind, and
possible rain. The course also looks great, gently rolling.
Buses board at 5:30 tomorrow.
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
Lawyers Halve Heart
Someone should do a race report, and it should mention the following facts:
1) The race was shortened to a 5K due to the heat, even though many of us can remember running it as a 10K in much hotter weather. So our litigation-wary culture loses 5K multiplied by countless lawyers' legs to skittishness.
2) The Covington team, even without Geoff (and it could easily have included Geoff if we had allowed registration by frequent users of the firm locker room, or if Geoff had merely agreed to run as my date), was the massive overall winner of the team competition this year, and will win the grand team prize of a laminated piece of paper. A far cry from the days when a charity fundraising race could give out a $5,000 grandfather's clock to a mega-law firm. Our average time for the four top runners was 17:18, and the next ranked team was 19 minutes flat. Admittedly, that did include an 18:27 from "Anne Feldman," a person who is unknown to any of us, but even if you include the well-known Sarah Burnham's extremely good 19:42, we would have won by a handy margin with a 17:37 average and would have had an all-Dojo or at least all-Dojo-and-Dojo-in-law scoring quartet. (With the hypothetical Geoff and the possibly-hypothetical Ms. Feldman we would have averaged 16:49.)
3) The following signicant times were run by Dojo members and honorary members:
Dave Burnham -- 15:34 (5:01 pace), fifth place overall and first in whatever "age group" you are in when you are 27, and just one second off of my self-timed world age-group record, set just two weeks ago on the Alter-G. The idea that someone can do that not suspended by a big air bubble is amazing.
Pru (kind of like Pre) -- 16:09, 9th place, second in that same age group, first lawyer overall.
King Geoff -- 17:05, 12th place, damn good for thinking minutes before the race that he was gearing up for a 10K.
Sarah Burnham -- 19:42, PR (at least post-college), second Burnham, fifth lawyer. That 6:21 pace is very fine, since her optimistic training pace for 10K was 6:30.
Pemberton -- 19:05, who pronounced it a decent fourth run since getting off the bike, out of the pool and away from the gravity-sheltered confines of the Alter-G. A distant second in the age group, but at least no injuries -- yet.
Reeves Westbrook -- 23:28, third in his age group (behind two 60+ year olds who beat Pemberton), looking good and finishing strong.
If I had a picture of a person eating blubber, or a bridge, I would post it here, but lacking those things, I will stop
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Iceland Sunday Update
• 65 min easy in the AM
• Noon soak in the Blue Lagoon, complete with silica mud mask
• Sampled one of Iceland's best known hot dog stands (a very popular treat hereabouts)
• International handball match between Iceland and Austria, among 3000 screaming and clapping Icelanders (Iceland won, 43 to 29) (see below)
• Tour of Harpa, a new concert hall/convention center in town.
Carbo-depleting starts tomorrow. Because of the travel schedule, my plan is to do the kickoff workout late tonight after dinner. Plan to eat lots of peanuts on the plane...
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Iceland Update
Afterwards, my running buddies snuck me into their gym (evading a retinal scanner in the process). The gym was incredible, with full sauna facilities and a huge field of treadmills.
This afternoon, we are walking around downtown touring the historic buildings such as the city's cathedral (see below) and doing some shopping. Tomorrow: the blue lagoon and the international handball match between Iceland and Austria.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Eating Whale Kabob Part 2
Iceland Update
Today's slate of events:
• 60 min easy around the town of Heimaey in the Westman Islands.
• Explored homes covered by a 1973 volcanic eruption
• Ferry ride to mainland Iceland
• Visited Selfoss (huge waterfall north of Reykjavik)
• Visited Geysir (see below)
• toured the site of the first parliament in Thingfeller
• dinner in Reykjavik (whale, monkfish, shrimp, and vegetables, all on a stick)
Scheduled to do a little trail running with the Iceland Running Club tomorrow morning, and then some sightseeing around town.
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Brian and Farah's bike trip - (the other) Washington! - a summary
Whoa! Washington was awesome (though not quite as bike friendly as B.C...). We came back into the U.S. via San Juan island - highly acclaimed as one of the best places to bike in the world. Though it did not make the very top of our list we can see why people love it. The San Juan islands are beautiful, small enough to do a weekend loop and very accessible by ferry. If that wasn't enough there was a bizzarly beautiful mausoleum / free mason shrine in the woods. Definitely the highlight though was the picturesque campsite - with a beautiful sunset overlooking the water and orca whales in the distance.
From San Juan we took a ferry to Anacortes on Fidalgo island and were soon greeted by possibly the most amazing view yet on the trip - Deception Pass whose bridge then took us to Whidbey. From our guide book or other travelers we were alerted in advance to most of the spectacular views, but this overlook of the Skagit Bay (Puget Sound) and the Strait of Juan de Fuca surrounded by state forests really took us by surprise.We crossed over to the mainland by ferry from Whidbey Island (Coupeville) to Port Townsend. Port Townsend was super-cute and people were incredibly nice - one woman even offered us a place to stay for the night. We appreciated the volunteer-run community coffee shop and the Better Living through Coffee shop and just generally that Washington shares our love of coffee! We definitely took advantage of quite a few of the bike-in (ok, or drive-in) espresso stands along the sides of the roads. Anyhow, we pressed on from the cute town and stayed in Old Fort Townsend State Park. We rolled up to a small grassy area in front of 2 port-o-potties and thought that was the area designated for hiker-bikers... then Brian spotted a trail into the woods and we found a lovely circular clearing in the forest where everything was covered in a beautiful green. After learning to ward off and fight cougars (stay on your feet) and agreeing that Brian would try deescalation if we encountered one and Farah would do the fighting we started a camp fire and settled in for the night.
The next day we headed to Seattle via the Bainbridge Island ferry. This was the first rainy day in Washington state and we ducked under the awning at a gas station to make our sandwiches and eat lunch. One of the typically friendly locals suggested that we change our route and head to the Bainbridge ferry instead of Bremerton - savings us time and hills! (thanks.) We arrived to Seattle with amazing views of the city, and snowy mountains above from the ferry and biked another 8 miles up the steep hills to Brian's Great-Aunt Rita and Uncle Jerry's. Rita and Jerry gave us an amazing tour of the city (we are going to have to send Jerry a porter cap and tip jar for his van) including Seattle's famous troll under the bridge, and hosted us in style - providing a hot tub, pool, great food and interesting stories - what more could the touring cyclist ask for?! They accompanied us all over - even to the punk, vegan diner. We also got to see Carol once again! She continued to give us great tips on excellent vegan eating along the Pacific coast. Unfortunately, we did not find Seattle to be very bike friendly - and it wasn't just the hills - bridges were slippery when wet (all the time in Seattle), drivers were aggressive and Brian was almost hit by a car - when riding in the bike lane - and then yelled at by a pedestrian for it.We missed the ferry we wanted from Seattle and ended up with 40 miles to bike starting at 4 PM. The first (20!) miles were steep and harrowing - as we deviated from our guide book and used google maps (which has obviously never ridden a bike). The next 20 were beautiful though as we biked right along the coast of the Hood Canal. Heading to camp we rounded the canal and met the 101 (the main route for biking down the coast) for the first time since B.C. - ironically, though, it was to head north (though just for 1.5 miles). We ended at the Potlach State Forest and were greeted by 3 or 4 other groups of touring cyclists. This was the first time we met more than a couple other cyclists. At least some of them were using the same guidebook and we swapped stories and plans.
Potlatch to Twin Harbor State Park - an 80 mile bike day! We cruised in the morning with the wind to our backs. Topping over 20 MPH going up hill! By lunchtime we had biked close to 50 miles and then.... the flats started. Just after lunch, Brian's tube was punctured by a nail - in places! After finally putting on the 3rd patch, the tube exploded, thanks to a nice man's defective floor pump! All fixed up though we headed out on the road again - without the tail wind. 10 miles later we reached the 500 mile mark of our trip! As odds in Washington state would have it, right in front of a Starbucks. 10 miles later, Farah's tire was punctured! So, we have now proved the tire punctures happen, on average, every 500 miles. Yay, only 2 more flats each for the rest of the trip!
From Twin Harbors we headed to the coast and had our first views of the Pacific Ocean. This was the first day that it was really challenging to find good food - even "Everybody's Super Supermarket" / diabetes center did not have much to offer us. We are convinced that the diabetes center drums up business through the poor offerings at the market. We did find some good greens to go with our bulk items we were carrying and ended up with a delicious gourmet dinner of black bean and quinoa soup with garlic collard greens. We camped near the beach in Bay Center.
Last day in Washington! We headed down the coast and visited Cape (not at all a) Disappointment State Park. We took a 7 mile loop through the park. The views were so amazing they distracted us from lunch for quite a while. We finally ate near North Head Lighthouse - most photographed lighthouse in Washington. We hiked through the rainforest and saw amazing huge trees and beautiful preserved coastline. We finished out the visit by flying down - and then up - the snaking, roller-coaster roads.
We left Washington and entered Oregon via the Astoria-Megler bridge - a 4.2 mile bridge with a serious climb in the last 3/4 of a mile. Washington was beautiful and, despite predictions, the weather was awesome. Thank you, other Washington.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Iceland Day 3
Cavalcade of fun:
• 40 min run in the am, pummeled by 20-30 mph winds
• 2 hour glacier hike with crampons and ice ax (glacier is sadly covered with lots of ash)
• 45 minute wait for a car to jump our hiking guide's van
• ice floe boat ride (see photo) on the lake that was intentionally frozen to shoot the James Bond film, Die Another Day
• 8 mile tempo on the main highway with the first 4 miles uphill and into the wind, the last 4 miles at 5:45 pace
• hour in a hot tub
I figured out why i've been feeling so off on my morning runs - I've been running at the equivalent of 2-3 am! So rather than fight it, I am now just doing the hard workouts in the pm, when my body is a little more ready to work.
Great trip so far. Wish I brought more clothes. Looks like we are going to go watch an Icelandic Second Division soccer game in a couple days.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Iceland Day 2
5x1 mile into 20-30 mile winds (it may be cool and shooting-free, but it's really really windy)
Icelandic horseback riding
Wool shop visit
Waterfall climb
Glacier-viewing
8 miles easy
Islandic hot tub machine
Sleep
Monday, June 6, 2011
Iceland Update Day 1
Race Report: Race for the Cure 5k
Quick recap of the Race for the Cure before I get on a plane for Iceland...
Pruitt, Wigglesworth, and Yi (me) did battle at the Race for the Cure 5k this weekend. All in all, I'd say it was a fairly successful race. First, the weather was absolutely fantastic for a race. Second, this was one of the most enormous race fields I've ever been in, easily one of the biggest crowds for any road race in DC. Third, as a collective, we managed to finish three runners in the top ten. Pruitt cruised in at 5th place, Wigglesworth in 9th, and me rounding out the top 10.
I had a great view of the race from the caboose of the Dojo train. In particular, the race gave me a chance to watch Wigglesworth at work. He went out in what was (for him) a relatively conservative pace of 5:20, and I just tried to hang on. While I'd like to think that my struggle to keep pace with a guy 23 years older than me is because of neglect for short speed work, I don't think that all the 400 repeats in the world would make it easy or perhaps even possible to hang with Henry. In the end, I did my best to stay within 5 seconds of him for as much of the race as possible. My end splits: first mile - 5:26, second - 5:36, and the final 1.1 - 6:13 for a total time of 17:15. Pruitt ran a 16:19, and Wigglesworth pulled away from me over the final stretch to finish in 17:05, easily winning the master division.
Read James Moreland's write-up here, as he describes Henry's time as "national class." Photo is from the report.
Have fun in DC while I ride donkeys, sit in luxurious mud baths, and climb on glaciers. I'll try to post the occasional photo from the road.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Race Report: Comrades Marathon – “The Ultimate Human Race”
[editor's note: The following is the most epic race report ever published on this blog, penned by our own Gareth Coville. Gareth recently medalled at the legendary Comrades Marathon.]
It is difficult to describe to non-South Africans the impact that this race has on the nation’s psyche. It is by far the oldest, biggest and most recognized road race in the country and the largest and oldest ultra-marathon in the world. It is a point-to-point, roughly 56-mile race that alternates each year between Durban and Pietermaritzburg (the “up” run) and Pietermaritzburg and Durban (the “down” run). It was started in 1921 as a commemoration to fallen soldiers during WWI and over the 86 years it has been organized (there was a brief break during WW2), it has grown in leaps and bounds while still holding to its history and tradition.
One of my fondest childhood memories is sleepily switching on the TV at 5:30am every year on Comrades race day to listen to the “Chariots of Fire” music and traditional cock crow that signaled the start of the race and then watching the runners head off on their epic day-long adventure. In the mid-morning my family and I would then head over to a family friend’s house for champagne breakfast and spend the day yelling at the TV, willing friends and family members to cross the finish the race within the allotted time.
Comrades is the only race that the average non-running South African knows and follows (almost all will watch at least part of the race during the day) and the question that would inevitably arise whenever I chat with a stranger and mention that I ran for sport was “How many Comrades have you done?” as if to do anything less would not count you as a runner.
It is with this backdrop that I arose at 3:30am in Durban on Sunday morning, with Jon (a good friend of mine from San Francisco, who was also running) and the support crew consisting of my father and fiancée (Aileen). We were able to get to the start by 4:30 without any fanfare. After some light stretching, I wished Jon good luck and found my corral. There were thousands of runners buzzing around in the corrals trying hard to contain their nervous excitement. A few minutes before the race started the national anthem was sung followed by 12,000 runners erupting into a very moving rendition of Shosholoza (South Africa’s unofficial national anthem). The “Chariots of Fire” music started to blare over the speakers, there was the cock crow and we were off.
Everyone I had spoken with before the race had told me to hold back and take it as easy as possible at the beginning. With this in mind, I positioned myself at the back of the corral and tried my hardest to hold back and run at what felt like a slow jog (i.e. 9 min/mile). Fortunately this wasn’t too hard to do, as almost immediately we hit our first hill and began to climb our way out of Durban. Even at 5:30 in the morning there were throngs of crowds everywhere, many of them wearing a coat over their pajamas and cup of coffee in hand, cheering us on.
At about mile 13, I summited Cowies Hill, the first of the big 5 climbs. I finally had my first break from the climbing and ran through a relatively flat section of the course at Pinetown. I found Aileen and my father on the sidelines, exchanged my long-sleeve t-shirt for a hat and waterbottle, told them that all was well and jumped back into the steady stream of runners. 13 miles down, 43 to go … this isn’t so bad.
After Pinetown, the runners were greeted with an even larger and steeper climb up Fields Hill. Looking back you could see Durban nestled down below and the ocean beyond it. The sun was still rising and the weather was cool and dry, perfect for running. I had been running uphill for almost 3 hours now and the “slow jog” was starting to feel like more of a challenge. Finally I got to the top of Fields Hill and had a few miles of flattish/downhill running during which I could recuperate and increase my speed. But, almost as soon as I started to get into a comfortable stride, the climbing started again. This time up the 3rd of the 5 big climbs, Botha’s Hill.
I crested Botha’s Hill comfortably and carried on down to the carnival that was taking place at the halfway mark, Drummond. By this stage of the race, the runners had started to spread out a little more, however the crowd support was as strong as ever. Now the supporters were no longer in PJ’s with coffees but instead setting up BBQ’s on the side of the road and offering runners beers. At Drummond there seemed to be thousands of people cheering us on as well as a DJ and cheerleaders. It was a real party atmosphere and I was almost tempted to take a break and join in the celebrations. I crossed the halfway mark at 4:15. This put me on target for an 8:30 Comrades, but I knew that this wasn’t going to happen. My legs were starting to tire from the constant climbs and I knew that things were going to fall apart once I reached the 32-mile mark (which was the distance of the longest training run that I had completed).
After Drummond, we were greeted with even more climbing (is this starting to get repetitive?), this time up a shorter but steep hill called Inchanga. By now, many of the runners around me were starting to take breaks and walk for a bit. I ploughed on and was thrilled to get to the top at a slow and steady pace but without walking. Now 4 of the 5 major climbs were completed and we were onto the “flat” section of the course. The second half of the race was still extremely hilly, but fortunately it was more of the rolling variety where there would always be a downhill to relieve you after yet another short steep climb. I was starting to tire and found this section really tough. Besides some of the towns that we passed through the crowds got fewer as did the shade and the sun beat down mercilessly on us. By the time I found my dad and Aileen at Camperdown I was really struggling and still had 15 miles to go. I had wanted to break 9 hours, but at this stage realized that it wasn’t going to happen and decided to take it easy and just get through the race.
Everyone I had spoken to told me that I would go through good patches and bad patches during the race. The next 8 miles were my bad patch and this section was by far the mentally and physically toughest for me. I felt exhausted and wanted to have some pace or time goal to aim for but also wanted to try and save some energy for the final of the big 5 climbs, Polly Shortts. Polly Shortts is the most famous climb in Comrades folklore as this is where the winner typically makes his final move to win the race and a very small percentage of the runners are able to complete it without stopping and walking for at least a little while. It is a very steep, mile and half climb that occurs with less than 6 miles to go to the end. After a runner has summited this climb they know that they are home free and have a gentle descent to the adoring fans at the finish line.
When I finally reached the base of Polly Shortts, I was greeted by my mom, friend (Shaun) and his wife (Wytske). Shaun gave me some much needed company up most of the hill. But by this time I was physically spent, knew that I wasn’t going to break 9 hours and decided to just walk it. At the top of the hill, I was within the Pietermaritzburg city limits and the crowd support was huge. The cheering from the sidelines and knowledge that there were no more big hills was exactly what I needed and I was able to gradually get back into a “good patch”, picking up the pace and heading for home. As I got closer and closer to the finish line, the crowds got louder and louder and my spirits were lifted. Suddenly I had the energy to “sprint” (i.e. 8:15 min/mile pace) the last two miles overtaking about 100 runners. I crossed the finish line in 9:18, utterly exhausted but thrilled that I had now finished “the ultimate human race”.
Afterwards, I quickly found my family, Aileen and Jon. Jon had had an amazing race finishing in 7:41 and missing a prestigious silver medal by only 11 minutes. Finishing was awesome, but the best drama was yet to come. Comrades is famous for its brutal cut-off time. Runners have 12 hours to finish the course (this is roughly equivalent to about a 5 hour marathon) and typically half of the field finishes in the last hour. We all stayed at the finish line cheering all of the runners on as they arrived in ever increasing droves and the clock steadily ticked along to 12 hours. In the dying minutes of the race, hundreds of runners were running, crawling or dragging themselves across the finish line. The crowds on the sideline were getting more and more vocal, hoping that their yells and cheers would provide the friends still out on the course with the final ounce of energy needed to cross the line in time. With a minute to go, an official walked to the finish line with a loaded revolver in his hand and turned his back to the runners. Ten seconds to go and everyone in the crowd started a countdown while the final runners feverishly clamored for the line. At 0, the gun was shot and the finish line closed. The last runner to cross the line became a local hero and received his 15 minutes of TV fame, while the remaining runners on the course trudged in, resigned to the fact that they would have to try harder next year.
As I look back on the race, I am thrilled that I finally did it. The hills brought me to my knees but the crowds, support stations (roughly one every 1.25 miles) and tradition where unlike anything I have experienced before. Physically I held up well considering that I didn’t suffer from any dehydration, chaffing or blisters and the stiffness lasted only three days after the event. I felt that my 9:18 was an honest result based on my limited training and injury issues over the last few months. I now realize just how hard it is to get a silver medal (7.5 hour finish time or 8 minute/mile pace) and that only makes me want to achieve it even more. It will be a while until I can persuade my future wife to plan another trip to South Africa exclusively for the race (secretly I am hoping that a family member will plan their wedding for May in South Africa), but the bug has bitten and I’ll be back.
Below are some links of interest:
* Jon’s post-race report – http://jonkroll.blogspot.com/2011/05/comrades-marathon-2011.html
* Shosholoza sung at the start of the race - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEcBK9WPZuQ
* Clip of a runner barely making it across the line in 9 hours and receiving his Bill Rowan medal (half silver, half bronze). Classic Comrades drama – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgpNzZCqWzk
* The end of the race - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEWuBasQUBc
It is difficult to describe to non-South Africans the impact that this race has on the nation’s psyche. It is by far the oldest, biggest and most recognized road race in the country and the largest and oldest ultra-marathon in the world. It is a point-to-point, roughly 56-mile race that alternates each year between Durban and Pietermaritzburg (the “up” run) and Pietermaritzburg and Durban (the “down” run). It was started in 1921 as a commemoration to fallen soldiers during WWI and over the 86 years it has been organized (there was a brief break during WW2), it has grown in leaps and bounds while still holding to its history and tradition.
One of my fondest childhood memories is sleepily switching on the TV at 5:30am every year on Comrades race day to listen to the “Chariots of Fire” music and traditional cock crow that signaled the start of the race and then watching the runners head off on their epic day-long adventure. In the mid-morning my family and I would then head over to a family friend’s house for champagne breakfast and spend the day yelling at the TV, willing friends and family members to cross the finish the race within the allotted time.
Comrades is the only race that the average non-running South African knows and follows (almost all will watch at least part of the race during the day) and the question that would inevitably arise whenever I chat with a stranger and mention that I ran for sport was “How many Comrades have you done?” as if to do anything less would not count you as a runner.
It is with this backdrop that I arose at 3:30am in Durban on Sunday morning, with Jon (a good friend of mine from San Francisco, who was also running) and the support crew consisting of my father and fiancée (Aileen). We were able to get to the start by 4:30 without any fanfare. After some light stretching, I wished Jon good luck and found my corral. There were thousands of runners buzzing around in the corrals trying hard to contain their nervous excitement. A few minutes before the race started the national anthem was sung followed by 12,000 runners erupting into a very moving rendition of Shosholoza (South Africa’s unofficial national anthem). The “Chariots of Fire” music started to blare over the speakers, there was the cock crow and we were off.
Everyone I had spoken with before the race had told me to hold back and take it as easy as possible at the beginning. With this in mind, I positioned myself at the back of the corral and tried my hardest to hold back and run at what felt like a slow jog (i.e. 9 min/mile). Fortunately this wasn’t too hard to do, as almost immediately we hit our first hill and began to climb our way out of Durban. Even at 5:30 in the morning there were throngs of crowds everywhere, many of them wearing a coat over their pajamas and cup of coffee in hand, cheering us on.
At about mile 13, I summited Cowies Hill, the first of the big 5 climbs. I finally had my first break from the climbing and ran through a relatively flat section of the course at Pinetown. I found Aileen and my father on the sidelines, exchanged my long-sleeve t-shirt for a hat and waterbottle, told them that all was well and jumped back into the steady stream of runners. 13 miles down, 43 to go … this isn’t so bad.
After Pinetown, the runners were greeted with an even larger and steeper climb up Fields Hill. Looking back you could see Durban nestled down below and the ocean beyond it. The sun was still rising and the weather was cool and dry, perfect for running. I had been running uphill for almost 3 hours now and the “slow jog” was starting to feel like more of a challenge. Finally I got to the top of Fields Hill and had a few miles of flattish/downhill running during which I could recuperate and increase my speed. But, almost as soon as I started to get into a comfortable stride, the climbing started again. This time up the 3rd of the 5 big climbs, Botha’s Hill.
I crested Botha’s Hill comfortably and carried on down to the carnival that was taking place at the halfway mark, Drummond. By this stage of the race, the runners had started to spread out a little more, however the crowd support was as strong as ever. Now the supporters were no longer in PJ’s with coffees but instead setting up BBQ’s on the side of the road and offering runners beers. At Drummond there seemed to be thousands of people cheering us on as well as a DJ and cheerleaders. It was a real party atmosphere and I was almost tempted to take a break and join in the celebrations. I crossed the halfway mark at 4:15. This put me on target for an 8:30 Comrades, but I knew that this wasn’t going to happen. My legs were starting to tire from the constant climbs and I knew that things were going to fall apart once I reached the 32-mile mark (which was the distance of the longest training run that I had completed).
After Drummond, we were greeted with even more climbing (is this starting to get repetitive?), this time up a shorter but steep hill called Inchanga. By now, many of the runners around me were starting to take breaks and walk for a bit. I ploughed on and was thrilled to get to the top at a slow and steady pace but without walking. Now 4 of the 5 major climbs were completed and we were onto the “flat” section of the course. The second half of the race was still extremely hilly, but fortunately it was more of the rolling variety where there would always be a downhill to relieve you after yet another short steep climb. I was starting to tire and found this section really tough. Besides some of the towns that we passed through the crowds got fewer as did the shade and the sun beat down mercilessly on us. By the time I found my dad and Aileen at Camperdown I was really struggling and still had 15 miles to go. I had wanted to break 9 hours, but at this stage realized that it wasn’t going to happen and decided to take it easy and just get through the race.
Everyone I had spoken to told me that I would go through good patches and bad patches during the race. The next 8 miles were my bad patch and this section was by far the mentally and physically toughest for me. I felt exhausted and wanted to have some pace or time goal to aim for but also wanted to try and save some energy for the final of the big 5 climbs, Polly Shortts. Polly Shortts is the most famous climb in Comrades folklore as this is where the winner typically makes his final move to win the race and a very small percentage of the runners are able to complete it without stopping and walking for at least a little while. It is a very steep, mile and half climb that occurs with less than 6 miles to go to the end. After a runner has summited this climb they know that they are home free and have a gentle descent to the adoring fans at the finish line.
When I finally reached the base of Polly Shortts, I was greeted by my mom, friend (Shaun) and his wife (Wytske). Shaun gave me some much needed company up most of the hill. But by this time I was physically spent, knew that I wasn’t going to break 9 hours and decided to just walk it. At the top of the hill, I was within the Pietermaritzburg city limits and the crowd support was huge. The cheering from the sidelines and knowledge that there were no more big hills was exactly what I needed and I was able to gradually get back into a “good patch”, picking up the pace and heading for home. As I got closer and closer to the finish line, the crowds got louder and louder and my spirits were lifted. Suddenly I had the energy to “sprint” (i.e. 8:15 min/mile pace) the last two miles overtaking about 100 runners. I crossed the finish line in 9:18, utterly exhausted but thrilled that I had now finished “the ultimate human race”.
Afterwards, I quickly found my family, Aileen and Jon. Jon had had an amazing race finishing in 7:41 and missing a prestigious silver medal by only 11 minutes. Finishing was awesome, but the best drama was yet to come. Comrades is famous for its brutal cut-off time. Runners have 12 hours to finish the course (this is roughly equivalent to about a 5 hour marathon) and typically half of the field finishes in the last hour. We all stayed at the finish line cheering all of the runners on as they arrived in ever increasing droves and the clock steadily ticked along to 12 hours. In the dying minutes of the race, hundreds of runners were running, crawling or dragging themselves across the finish line. The crowds on the sideline were getting more and more vocal, hoping that their yells and cheers would provide the friends still out on the course with the final ounce of energy needed to cross the line in time. With a minute to go, an official walked to the finish line with a loaded revolver in his hand and turned his back to the runners. Ten seconds to go and everyone in the crowd started a countdown while the final runners feverishly clamored for the line. At 0, the gun was shot and the finish line closed. The last runner to cross the line became a local hero and received his 15 minutes of TV fame, while the remaining runners on the course trudged in, resigned to the fact that they would have to try harder next year.
As I look back on the race, I am thrilled that I finally did it. The hills brought me to my knees but the crowds, support stations (roughly one every 1.25 miles) and tradition where unlike anything I have experienced before. Physically I held up well considering that I didn’t suffer from any dehydration, chaffing or blisters and the stiffness lasted only three days after the event. I felt that my 9:18 was an honest result based on my limited training and injury issues over the last few months. I now realize just how hard it is to get a silver medal (7.5 hour finish time or 8 minute/mile pace) and that only makes me want to achieve it even more. It will be a while until I can persuade my future wife to plan another trip to South Africa exclusively for the race (secretly I am hoping that a family member will plan their wedding for May in South Africa), but the bug has bitten and I’ll be back.
Below are some links of interest:
* Jon’s post-race report – http://jonkroll.blogspot.com/2011/05/comrades-marathon-2011.html
* Shosholoza sung at the start of the race - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEcBK9WPZuQ
* Clip of a runner barely making it across the line in 9 hours and receiving his Bill Rowan medal (half silver, half bronze). Classic Comrades drama – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GgpNzZCqWzk
* The end of the race - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEWuBasQUBc
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Wild Animals on the bike trip
Spending time outside, being quiet - biking, walking and sleeping (not driving!) - is allowing us to really experience nature and see some amazing animals - some very unexpected. In B.C. we were visited by an oatmeal-loving raccoon in the night who stole all of our snacks! We awoke in the morning (to pouring rain) to find a trail of oatmeal leading into the forest and a missing saddle bag. Brian found the bag in the woods intact but completely ramsacked. Along the route in B.C we saw sea lions basking in the sun, many, many deer and lots of farm animals.
Getting into Washington state on San Juan Island we joined bird watchers to check out eagles (at very close range), a red-tailed hawk and a kestrel hawk and 2 foxes - a red fox and a grey/ black fox. Biking around San Juan we also saw a camel and a llama kissing and lots of alpaca. From our campsite on San Juan we saw an Orca (killer) whale in the distance. Since getting to Seattle we have seen a bunch of animals right here in the wilds of the city - a seal, beavers, salmon, a great blue heron and baby and mama ducks.
Getting into Washington state on San Juan Island we joined bird watchers to check out eagles (at very close range), a red-tailed hawk and a kestrel hawk and 2 foxes - a red fox and a grey/ black fox. Biking around San Juan we also saw a camel and a llama kissing and lots of alpaca. From our campsite on San Juan we saw an Orca (killer) whale in the distance. Since getting to Seattle we have seen a bunch of animals right here in the wilds of the city - a seal, beavers, salmon, a great blue heron and baby and mama ducks.
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
BC = Bike Country
British Columbia was amazing for biking! Everyone we met -gas station attendants, lots of people on the ferry, other campers, folks at the grocerty store - were excited and supportive of our bike trip plans. Not one person said they thought it was crazy or dangerous that we were planning on biking about 1500 miles. And, many people that we met in B.C. had themselves done bike tours. Most highways, including the one from the airport, had wide bike lanes and great signage; bike racks could be found on every corned and there was a very visible bike culture - even in the rain people of all ages were out and about with their saddle bags and fenders.
Probably the highlight was biking from the ferry to Victoria - about 20 miles, completely on bike trails and lanes. When we got off the ferry we were greeted by a sign proclaming Victoria "Canada's cylcing capital" a tall order to fill after the amazing views, friendly drivers, generous bike lanes. But, as we biked down the first steet people on the sidewalk cheered and nice folks in orange vests stopped traffic for us. Turns out our route conincided with the Tour de Victoria a 140 km bike tour. The whole ride to Victoria we got to chat with other cyclists who gave us props for doing the tour wth so much gear! And, we got free bananas when we got to Victoria. Despite the rain (notice the plastic bags on Farah's feet!) B.C. was awesome for bike touring!
Thursday Workout
The Grandma's Crew is getting an early start tomorrow, 6:20 @ 12th & Penn, 6:30 @ Hains Point to do a 2 X 6 mi workout. Others may be doing a more traditional workout starting at 6:50/7AM.
Also, stay tuned for an epic race report from the man, the myth, the legend, Gareth Coville, on his triumphant performance at Comrades Marathon.
Also, stay tuned for an epic race report from the man, the myth, the legend, Gareth Coville, on his triumphant performance at Comrades Marathon.