Training Log Archive: DWildfogel

Horseshoe Trail Half-Marathon, put on by Coastal Trail Runs, accompanying Louise (who pulled away over the last two miles, finishing in 2:36). Beautiful morning after a week of morning fog. 48 degrees when we got there, 58 when we left. The out and back course skirts Horseshoe Lake in Skyline Ridge OSP, then goes S on the Bay Area Ridge Trail and hooks up with the Long Ridge Trail (where we've hiked many times and ran a few times) then out Ward Rd to a turn around almost on Skyline Blvd.

The 600m elevation gain made this a pretty tough run. Found it very easy for the first several miles, walked a few of the biggest hills, then we all got stung by yellow jackets shortly before reaching the great view spot. Still felt pretty good when we got back to where the BA Ridge Trail leaves the Long Ridge Trail (1 hr 50 mins), but not long after that my climbing muscles were shot and I had to walk even modest hills. Over the last mile, my calves got really tight. No oxygen debt at any point, which is a different sort of experience. Finished 3rd in M60-69 (only 4 entrants, though I would've been 1 of 2 in M65-69), 59 of 82 overall. Louise was 4th of 11 in F50-59, missing a medal by 6 minutes (she would have been 2nd in F55-59 if they'd had 5 year classes instead of 10). Louise was the 4th of 15 finishers over age 52 (either sex) and I was the 6th. In a race over the same course last May, we would have been 35th and 37th of 97.

Took splits (coming and going) at the BA Trail/LongRidge Trail Junction, and at the turnaround:

--------------------- 44:13(3538)1:19:50 ---(:37 at aid station)
2:38:12(4713)1:50:58(3031)1:20:27

On a long run like this, I should carry an electrolyte drink (prepared one, but left it in the car). It really helped when I got some at the aid station.

Drove to Alice's Restaurant in Skylonda (Woodside) for a nice breakfast afterwards.

C • Nice 5

All warm up (no cool down, except stretching).

The usual accumulation of morning stretching. Less total time than usual because I didn't do the core & strength exercises I usually do as part of "morning stretching" while at Boggs last weekend, and didn't do the full amounts of those earlier in the week.

Class in Los Gatos with Louise, Cynthia subbing for Norma. Pushed it harder than previously; upper body stuff was particularly hard.

Two sets (rather than three) of each of: hips, weights, theraband. Also, some pilates mat exercises.

Lake Ranch Reservoir, with Louise. Cool. Legs still a bit tired from Boggs. Louise is really strong, though, and I had to work to keep up with her.

----------------454(529)1024(448)1512(432)1944
3752(410)3342(524)2818(407)2411(427)

Wore the Salmon Speedcross trail shoes to see if they are good for this sort of trail run, and they were.

Warm up: 0.2 mi in 3:00
Cool down: 0.35 mi in 5:00

One set each of weights and theraband exercises; a bit of pilates (core).

Middle Brown, Boggs Mtn, Day 2 of A-meet. (Official climb was 125, but more like 110). Cool, dry. Finished 2nd overall on Brown (and in M65) to Chuck Spalding's 46:00. Big downfall was 8 minutes of error (several different mistakes) on #7. Do not enjoy this "technical" part of the park - too gnarly for me, and the map seems ambiguous in many places. But others (e.g., Kent, Tapio) really liked it, so the truth is that I don't have the requisite skills. Perhaps I need to really slow down in terrain like this and concentrate on getting the vegetation right.

Did quite well for the first 6 (2 mins ahead of Chuck), and reasonably well after #9. Lost a minute on #9 in addition to the 8 minutes on #7.

Details in my comments on RouteGadget: http://baoc.org/gadget/cgi/reitti.cgi?act=map&id=2...

Legs were pretty tired from yesterday, so warm up was just a bit of slow jogging to get my Achilles loose.