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Ellen Demsky
Just got home from almost a week in Boston. Thought I would share the experience.....
Danny and I both qualified to run the Boston marathon and were thrilled to be in such elite company (well, there were 27,000 others). When Danny (and Lisa) ran it with me in 2007, none of us thought Danny would ever get fast enough to run a 3:10 marathon (qualifying time for his age) – well we both qualified in Sacramento Dec, 2009 - Danny with a blistering 2:59:54 and me with a respectable 4:55. So – we arrived in Boston on Thurs morning, after a sleepless red eye flight, with a great deal of anticipation.
Our hotel was conveniently located in Brookline, very near downtown Boston . It was along the marathon route (around mile 24) . Danny had read about Anthony’s on Beacon St in Runners World magazine in 2007 but it was filled “with regulars”. The older house has 14 rooms, redone to represent the Victorian era and the manager, Arthur, waits outside the house and takes photos of all his runner guests on marathon day. Our room had 4 beds, refrigerator/microwave and cost $152 including all the taxes – which is far below the downtown hotel rate for Boston.
Fenway park was just a ten minute walk from the hotel – and we made the pilgrimage on the Sat before the marathon. It is the oldest ball park and apparently the most expensive ball park in the country. It always sells out. It was field/photo day and David Ortiz posed for photos. We bought same day tickets (the teams release them on game day) and got excellent seats. The only downside to the exciting Sox victory over Toronto was the chilly weather. Coffee/Hot Chocolate lines were longer than beer lines – unheard of at a ball game! Haley had come in Sat morning and we three huddled together under a Sox blanket, to try and stay warm. It was exciting to be in the Green Monster where we could see the man manipulate the manual scoreboard and it was fun to be part of the closely seated crowd - like a newly found family for a few hours.
Clif Bar party:
After Fenway we went to the Lennox hotel, an old elegant hotel at the
finish line on Boylston St. My friend Deb (who was in
Turkey) had forwarded me (and other Leggers) an invite.
She is a pacer for Clif and Clif extended the invitation to her and her
friends. We did not see other Leggers there but really
enjoyed the gourmet food (carb oriented) and the speaker who gave us hints on
how to run the marathon. We met the pacer friend of Sharon
McNarys – The two of them had paced the Brighton England marathon last
weekend. These Clif bar people certainly are an
international group!
We also visited Boston Fine Arts Museum, Boston University, crossed the Harvard bridge and saw MIT and a crew race from along the running path beside the Charles River, all walking distance from the hotel.
Marathon Expo:
Aahh – such a shopping extravaganza. Had to get
ANOTHER jacket and of course some new shoes (always) – glasses/mugs – Boston
excitement was running high - Big expo - we spent three hours there. They had
a good movie on running the course.
We picked up our bibs - numbers were time related so Danny was 2088 and I was 21588 – a few hours difference in qualifying times – but it was ME who was the “seeded” runner. – Yeah – along with Ryan and the Kenyans . They “seed” the top 10 in each age group according to qualifying times, and I was thrilled to be No 9 at Boston. This meant that I was given an extra bib with F70 on it to be worn on my back to “identify me”. A little like a triathlon where you wear your age on your leg – so –I wore it - I have gotten over being age-sensitive. I met another “seeded” runner on the course - F75, Running Violet, from Vancouver Canada - and we walked heartbreak hill together.
Marathon Day:
Alarm at 5am – out the door at 6am – pick up coffee at Dunkin Donuts
and take the “T” to Park Station, Boston Commons. We
quickly got on a 6:30 bus and arrived at Hopkinton around 8am, heading
straight to the plentiful porta potty lines. I have to say, this is an
extremely well organized race, although, they have had 115 years to get it
right!
On the bus was a charming Canadian lady in her early 40’s who had 6 kids ages from 3 – 18 (same husband) who did triathlons – There goes the “no time for training” excuse. Her friend had three little kids and they had both qualified under 4 hrs.
Met a man, about 50, who had done the London marathon on Sun, flew to Boston, and was now doing the Boston marathon Mon morning. Just Crazy!
Danny and I waited, sitting on the grass – it was sunny – probably high 40’s. His wave was called around 9:20 and he made his way down to the start line for Wave 1’s 10:00am start. Danny knew he was not well trained for this race – he had just done a ½ Ironman in Oceanside 3 weeks before and the 13 mile run was his longest training run. And, as he reported, there were definitely difficult times throughout the race, but he completed the course in 3:29 and was pleased with his time.
I was in Wave 3 and we started running at 10:40. I was feeling pretty good for the first 10K.. (1:05) (which was downhill)_Then, my legs began to feel “heavy”. This is unusual I thought and must be a product of doing two marathons within one month. (LA was Mar 20). Oh well, just push through it. My goal was just to enjoy the course as it probably would be my last Boston marathon, and to finish around 5:30 ish – like I did in LA. Then I began to feel nauseous and even stopped to go to the bathroom (something I usually never do). I felt I was walking a lot. I took a walk break every 5 min and stopped at water stations.
The Wellesley girls were energizing and I thought I have to kiss a Wellesley girl during my last Boston. I debated between the girl with the sign “Kiss me, I am going to be President one day” or the one the said “Kiss me, I am Jewish”. I kissed the latter and she gave me an encouraging Mazeltov! ,
At
the half I was 2:34. Hmmm still within decent range of my
time goal. Of course I still had the three Newton Hills
coming up and they certainly “kicked my butt” I increased
my walking but could not lose the nausea, even though I tried to throw up a
number of times.
I tried to enjoy the crowd as they lined the course almost completely from start to finish.. Loved the sign “What are you Thinking” and the little neighborhood kids handing out oranges/candy and I positively loved the guy who was handing out ice. Ice is such a luxury at this stage when warm Gatorade just is NOT refreshing. Also loved the lady who saw my age on my back and said “no way”.
At my pace, most people were walking the Newton hills, the second hill being the steepest, yet Heartbreak is the longest and gets talked about the most. There was a crowd of people at the top of Heartbreak, excitedly narrowing the course to high 5 the runners.
The worst was over. Now the 5 mile, mainly downhill, into Boston. I was excited, the end was in sight. I knew Danny & Haley were waiting for me in front of our hotel at 1085 Beacon and hopefully Danny would run the last two miles with me. The numbers started at 2000 ish and seemed to go very slowly downward. Finally I saw the crowd in front of the hotel. Arther and Haley with their cameras, Mike Hoffman and his son, (he finished around 4 hrs) and Danny jumping over the barricade to run with me. I was really delighted to see everyone and to have Danny running me in. He had run me in LA when I felt strong – so I told him that I was struggling today and it would be slow. He was not planning on running me in all the way as he was cramping and sore from his marathon, but he relented after I promised to absolve him from all the birth pains he caused me.
One mile to go. Sooooo long – Finally turned onto Boylston, I stopped for a second and just appreciated where I was, and thrilled to have Danny share it. He was videoing so I felt obligated to “look strong” at the finish.
Getting a massage and eating full fat potato chips – I told the Physical Therapist that her massage was worth doing the marathon for. I tried to tip her – she would not take it – “just a hug” she said. One of the doctor assistant volunteers was a LA tri club member who had just moved to Boston – what a small world.
The exit was easy – bag pick up and onto the T – a few stops and I was in a hot shower. Danny and Haley went to O’Leary’s, an Irish pub across the street, where Danny was given a free beer and a treasured Red Sox glass. I just wanted to curl up and go to bed – even passing up a free beer. NOT typical!!
I checked the results. My time was 5:35, just a minute slower than LA so I was happy that the time was not slower, as Boston was a lot more difficult course and I did not feel as good. I came in 6th in my age division. The first three ladies were around 4:30, so it was a strong group. It is interesting that almost the same time took first place in LA (out of 24) and only 6th place (out of 7) in Boston. Boston is such an elite field of runners. So proud that I have been able to run this race three times..
Thanks for reading,
good wishes, and continual support.
|
EVENT |
DATE |
AGE PLACE |
PACE |
TIME |
|
Los Angeles Marathon |
03/21/2010 |
13 |
12:05 |
5:16:42 |
| Race For Humanity 10K |
04/14/2010 |
1 |
9:48 |
1:00:58 |
| Xterra Malibu Creek 14M |
05/08/2010 |
1 |
17:15 |
4:01:37 |
| Santa Monica Classic 5K |
05/16/2010 |
1 |
9:25 |
0:29:16 |
|
Manitoba Marathon |
06/20/2010 |
1 |
12:18 |
5:22:33 |
|
Turkey Triathlon Swim 1/2 mile, Bike 14, run 4.5 mi |
11/28/2010 |
1 |
3:03:18 |
|
|
City of Palms River Run Florida - 10K |
12/04/2010 |
1 |
11:22 |
1:10:43* |
|
Cape Coral, FL 5K |
12/11/2010 |
1 |
10:10 |
0:31:46 |
|
Tinsel Triathlon 5K run, 12 mi bike, 150 m swim |
12/12/2010 |
1
|
1:31
|
|
|
* (new course record) |
||||
by Deb Clem
Sunday was SOOO much fun at the Merrell Down & Dirty Mud Run in Castaic. It was PURE JOY! There was a costume contest. I was dressed in a silk skirted dress and adorned with silk leaves around my waist and crown. I did the whole event with all of the mud and obstacles! I had such a blast. It is a great event and I recommend it for anyone of any ability! I even made 15th in my age group and I goofed off and did repeat obstacles because it was just too much fun to pass up!
by Lauren Case
I talked my husband, 17 year old daughter and 5 other friends (all essentially non-runners) from my kickboxing class to sign up for the 5k race. There was also a 5.6 mile race but I didn’t think it prudent to have them all run that one. We arrived around 6:30 Sunday morning to a beautiful day at Castaic Lake with lots of parking up close to the actual event start. We quickly checked in and picked up our race packets and went back to the car to get ready. I honestly was very surprised at how efficiently the volunteers were in the parking area, registration & generally all around for an inaugural event.
No one in our group had done a mud run before so we didn’t really know what to wear but I assumed that older, less bulky (i.e. no pockets) clothing would be most appropriate (pay attention here as this info will come in handy later). The costume contest judging was first (around 7:30) and was very entertaining with everything from Beetle Juice to Fairy Godfather to Santa. I believe the winner received a check for $500 so it might’ve been worth it for us to have invested a little bit of effort into a creative idea – oh well, there’s always next year!
They had the start area roped off into wave starts but it was not based on any particular time, just based on sheer numbers – when one area filled, they closed it off and moved to the next one. The start was about 30 minutes late but as the military shell went off (BOOOM!!) we were off.
The course left the grassy area (well marked) and headed off towards the fire roads but we continued to run along pretty bumpy, non-graded, trails for about 1/8 mile when I noticed the runners in front of me disappearing from view down a drop off (basically you had to slide down about 7-8 feet). The trail took a quick left into a 6’ tall drainage tunnel with muddy soil to trudge through. A quick turn again at the exit and up a steep SLIPPERY slope being sprayed down by a couple of over zealous volunteers with a fire hose confirmed my glee – we were DEFINITELY going to get muddy!!
With shoes now heavy with mud we sprinted to the first man-made obstacle – 3 wooden hurdles starting about 4.5 feet high, which you had to jump up onto, swing your leg over and jump down to the next one which was about 6-8" progressively higher. Needless to say, upper body strength definitely helped here on the last one which was about 6’ tall.
And then we were off to the next challenge – an approximately ½ mile climb up on fire roads. This is a pretty typical climb for the Basin Blues type runner but at least 80% of the runners near me starting walking at this point. I had promised to stay with my daughter for this run and she kept up a nice pace uphill jogging so off we went. Around the top of the hill was a 4’-4.5" high solid vertical wall to leap over which seemed pretty easy when accompanied by the encouraging "Hoo rah" screams from the volunteers.
We had some rolling up and down hills on fire roads again then to the "KILLER" hill. I didn’t see anyone running this one (including me!) but luckily it was pretty short. Getting to the top took us to a beautiful vantage point overlooking the trails we had just come up. Off to the next challenge – the water crossing! Not much higher than a foot but when accompanied by a fire hose spray-down it added to the fun. We dashed up the next small incline to a ladder climb that was about 8’ tall; by this point, the runners were definitely thinning.
Up ahead we could see the first of the mud pits. About 30’ long with a 2’ clearance to crawl through and an entry mound of mud as well as an exit mound, we were mostly submerged to our chest as we laughed our way along, trying to stay off our knees (ouch!). I think the mistake we had was the laughing as the mud was not fussy about where it - hence my suggestion NOT to wear any clothing with pockets!. Of course, we had the heckler/volunteer trying to convince us that the LOWER we got to the ground, the easier & faster our progress would be (NOT true!).
We left the mud pit pretty much covered in mud but it was surprisingly not that bad to run like this. The next mile or so was a nice long downhill with switchbacks to a single track trail at the bottom and back over towards the parking lot/grassy area. Up ahead I could see the crowds (amazingly, quite a few spectators) as we prepared for our next obstacle – the lake plunge. We entered the lake and continued along the hand-rope until we were submerged up to our chests. About 50’ later, we headed back to shore all nice and clean & cooled off – ahhh…..
Up ahead was a 8-10’ high wall set at a 45 deg angle or so, covered with slippery plastic which we had to get up to the top & over. There was a rope at the top to grab but quite a few runners were struggling with this one, sliding back down from wet, slippery, muddy shoes. The key was taking a running leap/jump and not stopping until you were SURE you were at the top. Then, we were off to the final mud pit. At approximately 50-60’ long, it actually was 3 separate pits divided by muddy mounds to climb up and over; mud, mud and more mud. There was no way to avoid getting covered but that’s the point, right? Needless to say, the lake plunge would’ve come in handy AFTER this instead of before. LOL!
There was lots of cheering, the announcer called out runners by name & the finish line was close by so we darted to the end to claim our dog-tag finisher medals. I’m pretty sure I’ve never laughed as much during any run I’ve done before.
My only suggestions to make this a better race would be to add a team entry category & to change up the food at the post race BBQ (burger, chips & sodas at 10 a.m.) Other than that, it was stellar.
May 9th I ran.....mostly walked.....my last ultra
marathon race for a while. I need a break to figure out my asthma and how to
keep it under control. I chose the McDonald Forest as my last "hoorah"
because I used to live in Corvallis and hiked those trails (pre runner
days). I remember exploring the lush forest with my baby daughter (now 22
years old) on my back. The race was a great way to celebrate mother's day
and close a wonderful chapter in my life. I feel so blessed to be a part of
the ultra community. I thank all of you who inspired and supported me in my
wonderful journey. I will continue to volunteer at races and give my love
and care to all the runners. I will still be out on the trails and run when
I can.
The race:
The McDonald Forest 50k is known for a muddy course. I wore my hat that says
"ultra Dirt Diva" on the front and "Got Mud?" on the back. I LOVE the mud.
It brings out the little girl in me to play. A Malibu Spa treatment
$100...an Oregon mud treatment Priceless! A mud pit tried to swallow me but
I crawled out. It was a gorgeous sunny day but very cold for me coming from
90 degree temps in southern California. The 40 degree temp. at the start was
not good for my lungs. I did ok until mile 6 or so. I felt the vice grips in
my chest but I was determinded to just keep going and keep my resp. rate low
enough to keep from a full attack. The tricky part was there were some very
steep hills and was in full blown attack at the top of a hill where the race
director heard me coming from afar. It is difficult to sneak by when you
sound like a donkey! My inhaler took care of it and I reasured the race
director I would be ok and I won't be stupid......maybe push up the edge of
stupidity but I would be responsible and stop before it gets bad. I had a
down hill before the next aide station so my breathing was not so noisy. A
paramedic was sent up the trail to see if I was ok. I reassured him. Each
aide station radioed ahead about me. I wished they wouldn't worry about me
so much. I was "behaving" and enjoying the lust terrain and playing in the
mud! I understood though since I volunteer on the medical team for races. It
was vigilant to keep tabs on me. They were just a pain in the butt when I
was trying to do math to calculate my time with my pace! I just wanted to
keep going until I couldn't make the cut off time. I can't do math when
being asked a gazillion questions! I made the cut off at mile 22.6 Chip Ross
Park. My dear friend and "sister" Sheri hiked to meet me on the trail
before coming into the aide station. I got the same interrogation by the
paramedics. I felt so good and strong except my lugs were so irritated and
seized up at any little hill. I had some big climbs before the finish. I did
the math and decided it wouldn't be fair to make the volunteers stay late
for me. I officialy dropped from the race and went to the finish to cheer
those who could finish and I had a massage by volunteers! How cool!
Hugs and blessings to all.
Happy Trails!
Deb
Hi gang!
The last few years I have run a simultaneous run on the trails out in the
Santa Monica Mountains with the Boston Marathon . I thought it would be a
fun idea to let the runners I know running the Boston Marathon that I will
start at the same time as them and run the whole distance but on trail...and
ok, a lot more hills. I want to send them the energy of the beautiful
surroundings of the trails that I run and I am there in spirit with them!
Knowing it was going to be hot out I decided to keep on the fire roads for
better visibility if I happen to collapse. There is an out and back run that
I knew with 12 miles each way. When I got back to the car I decided to run
the final 2 miles to complete the marathon distance.... 1 mile down hill and
1 mile back up!
In summary:
I had started ahead of when the Boston marathoners started so I could beat
some of the heat.
I carried ice water and frozen water bottles totaling 6 liters. I made a
water drop on the way out for the return trip.
I had a high school buddy starting Boston at 7:30 am so I gave a big cheer
to him and all the others starting then.
I enjoyed the early morning temps. It was peaceful with nobody on the trail.
I listened to the birds making their music.
By
9am it started to get warm
I enjoyed the little lizards running along with me .... from the Get-Go
running club ;)
I saw a gopher snake and a very angry rattle snake ...and lots of huge
snake tracks
11 am it was a scorcher. It got up to 103 degrees...and I was out in full
sun exposure!
I started to see a few runners then cyclists who were looking pretty
trashed.
I came across a young couple with an old dog. All 3 were over heated and had
little water. I cooled them down with my ice water and gave them one of my
bottles that was half thawed out.
I was dragging along but taking good care of myself. Pouring ice water over
my neck and head is the key. I was doing it for runners at Yesterday's Leona
Divide 50 miler. I know now why they called me an Angel!
Almost 7 hours into my run I made it to my car. I made it to the 24 mile I
had planned but it was bugging me that it wasn't the full marathon. I
was wiped out but had to do the last 2 miles... on road.
A brutal day for me. It was nothing next to those who ran the 50 miler
yesterday in the heat!
I hope all went well for the Boston Marathoners.
Hugs to all
enjoy the photos
Deb
I recently found out something interesting concerning using a Garmin GPS while running around the track on a cruise ship. It doesn't work. Why, you ask. Well the ship is steaming along at around 25 MPH which the GPS 'sees' and which is a heck of a lot faster than I can or ever could run. Just never thought about it.
However, I did have very nice company while running.
|
You are invited to view Steve's photo album:
BBT Day 3 - Jan '09
|
I was wonderful to see my "ultra" family, especially Dot Helling and of course Jeff Washburn who made it out there and ran what he could! He was also out at Taftsville bridge as well as other points on the course to cheer on runners. Being a "horse person" I LOVED running with the horses. I carried a photo of my ex-endurance horse that passed away last August. When I felt tired, I just thought of him and felt his presence.
Nancy Shura-Dervin, RD
A few days before the 7th annual VCHM, our 2002 inaugral winner Robert Leonardo, contacted me saying he wanted to bring two new runners to the race. 38-y/o Leonel Avalos didn’t disappoint, winning the race in 1:15:37. This is the second fastest time ever run on the VCHM course. The big surprise of the day was Robert’s female runner, 27-y/o Alejandra Alonso who set a new ladies’ course record with her time of 1:30:21. It won’t be long until some talented lady breaks 1:30 on this tough mountain course.
Several VCHM "regulars" attempted to set new age division records this year, including former champions Robert Leonardo and Sue Davis, who each fell victim to speed proving that this is indeed a challenging course. Although Alejandra’s new course record also set an age division record, all the other previously existing age division course record times still stand!
There were other noteworthy performances worth mentioning:
| New runner, 16-y/o Andrew Rohrlich ran 1:34:29, after completing his first marathon at LA with a great time of 03:20:08! |
| Former VCHM ladies’ champions Anissa Seguin and Jennifer Overlock finished in a near dead heat with times of 1:36:42 and 1:36:43, respectively. |
| 71-year old, Harry Pantelas, has finished all seven VCHMs, placing in his age division each time, winning his age division six times, and has set two age division course records along the way. |
The day was not without some "drama". Just as the race started, a club of about 40 mountain bike riders descended upon the course making for a couple of near misses during the race. We also had an imposter who identified herself as a VCHM champion to get a comp entry on race morning, then proceeded to collect some age division awards and gifts, after the ceremony ended. Well, we all know "shit happens" and she will not get away with it again at one of my races. We are grateful that this is all there is to complain about, a race is always a success when everyone returns safely.
The real "stars" of the day continue to be our beautiful Volunteers and Sponsors! The runners benefit greatly from the generosity of Volunteers and Sponsors who support the VCHM. Larry and I appreciate each one of you who showed up so early to pitch in. Honorable mention goes to Cindy Lawson who has worked from start to finish at the VCHM for seven consecutive years and to the New Basin Blues who consistently work aid stations 1 and 3. I hope you will email your appreciation to the VCHM Volunteers; I promise to pass it on. We had such generous Sponsors this year, enabling us to give Sponsor donated prizes to the top three male/female finishers overall plus the top three male/female runners in each age division, plus the Raffle that gifted 75 lucky runners. Please browse the race website… shop with our Sponsors… and don’t forget to tell them you ran the VCHM. That is what will bring them back each year!
So with the 7th annual VCHM in the history book, it’s time to look forward to the Bulldog 50K Ultra Run and 25K Trail Run on August 23, in beautiful Malibu Creek State Park. If you’ve never run the Bulldog, I hope you will join us for the "original" Malibu Creek trail race, since 1992. The 50K will be the RRCA Western Regional Championship Race and both distances will again be Trail Runner Trophy Series Races. There will be special awards to overall male/female, masters male/female, grand masters male/female and of course our sponsor prizes to all the age division winners. If you need help training, the UltraLadies will be running every other Sunday in the Angeles Forest… more fun to be had!
Happy trails and thank you for supporting the Valley Crest Half Marathon.
Nancy Shura-Dervin
Nancy Shura-Dervin
Kirsten ran a perfect marathon for her first. Her split
for the half was 3:31:35 and her finish chip time was 6:25:32, she actually ran
the second half in 2:54. She got that medal, raised money for AIDS and signed
up for the R&R Marathon in San Diego.
Thanks for all the kind thoughts and comments. It was wonderful to pace my
daughter the last 7miles in her first marathon.
-----------------------------
2/26/08
I ran my first step at the age of 40. After all these years, I’ve finished more than 60 ultras, including AC-100 and Badwater. I am fortunate to have two beautiful daughters, Kirsten, age 37 and Heather, age 29. Although Heather has been part of my crew for several of these races, both my daughters have verbally expressed repeatedly, that I must have a screw loose in my brain. Of course, they also proclaimed that they would never, ever run a race, least of all a marathon or an ultra.
In 2004, Larry and I bought a home in Chama, NM and moved.
My influence on my daughter’s lives and choices has certainly been affected by
this now long distance relationship.
Kirsten was a big baby at birth and by her 1st birthday, she probably weighed 27
lbs. She lived her entire life as a large person, eventually getting up to about
260 lbs. She is 5’5" tall. Kirsten tried many methods to lose weight over the
years but nothing stuck for long and certainly nothing I ever said or did had
any positive affect. You can imagine how difficult it must have been for this
particular daughter to have a mom who was 5’3", weighed about 120 lbs, and had
completed 100-mile runs.
Fast forward to February 25, 2008. Kirsten decided to undergo gastric banding
surgery in 8/06. In 3/07, after losing about 50 lbs, she telephoned me one
morning and said, "Guess what I’m doing right now?" She was about to cross the
finish line of her first race… a 10K. She quickly joined a training group to
raise money for AIDS and on March 2, she will run the LA Marathon. LA was also
my first marathon, in 1991.
She has now lost 95 lbs and has completed three half marathons plus several shorter races along the way. It is wonderful to have her telephone me to talk about her running.
Seeing Kirsten cross the finish line at the LA Marathon
will be a mom’s prayer come true, partly because of her weight loss, and partly
because she is sharing a passion of mine… running. On March 2, my UltraLadies
friends and I will meet her at different points along the way to cheer her on.
Happy trails,
Nancy
10/22/07
I just wanted to share a fabulously fun weekend in San
Francisco. I went with a couple of friends. They ran the half and I ran the full
marathon. The day before the race, we had fun "playing" on the cable cars and
made friends with "cable car guy". The weather was perfect! I went into the race
untrained ( due to mysterious issues/difficulties with my training) for the
marathon so I knew I would be sore and not at my best for a "good finish time".
I was just going to run a good race for where I was at this time in my training,
hoping for under 5 hours. Basically, this was a training run for me. I had a
good pace between 9-10 min mi. But the scenery was just too beautiful to pass up
a "photo op". I would then pick up my pace to close the gap that I lost
then...again, a great view. More hold backs. Sometimes we come to a point in our
life where we have to make a decision what road (or trail;) )we take. Do I go
for a competitive time in the race or do I take the opportunity to Experience
the beauty and joy? At mile 5, I came to the area where there were my "ultra
buddies" running their 24 hour race! Check out jpg 1461. I have that rascal look
that says..." I am going to play hooky from my marathon to go visit and run with
my buddies". I am a hopeless case! What's an extra mile or two? You know you are
an ultra runner when you run a marathon but take a side
trip to run with your ultra family :) .You can see how excited I was in a few of
the photos. I only ran 5 miles at that point and they had been running for 23
hours at that point! Linda looked as fresh as I did! How awesome they are! It
was the highlight of my run. I entered back on the Marathon course repeating a
section of it. Deja Vu ;).
More gorgeous sites and surprising hills! No problem! I had such a blast chatting with people, stepping off course to enjoy the views and take time to play and give a good "boogy" with the break dancers just past mile 13. It helped to keep people in the right spirit of things;). By mile 15 I was really feeling the harshness of the asphalt. My knees and hips were getting painful but not in an injury way. It was good training for ultras so I just kept going. I stopped to help a runner who was having cramping. I gave her a couple of my electrolyte pills and a bunch of water from my bottle (it pays to be prepared even if it is for others).
I was so glad to see the finish line. Cute San Francisco
firefighters in tuxedos handed out our Tiffany Necklace finisher medals. I found
some real cute Italians to greet me :).
Not a bad weekend.
8/1/07
If you’ve run with me at all in the last year, I’ll bet you have heard about the Green Bag Program - and probably more than you want to know. What is the latest, you ask? Well, let me tell you just how successful we’ve been. Since November of 05, we have delivered over 1850 bags to Skid Row. If you figure a conservative 12 lbs. per bag, that’s over 11 TONS of care packages and supplies handed out to homeless people who really need it. Each bag contains something to eat (granola bars, Vienna sausage, raisins, etc.), something to wear (t-shirts, sweatshirts, winter/summer stuff as appropriate), soap, toothbrush, a clean towel, bottle of water and other treasures for street people. The bags are all different because I tell people when filling it, to put in what they would want if they were the homeless recipient. One guy added a roll of duct tape. Another lady put in a dozen clothes pins. I see first aid kits, ponchos, sunscreen – the list is limited only by imagination. People are so inventive when given a chance. When I speak at schools, I ask the kids to put a note of encouragement in the bag, as well. You can’t believe the power of a 3 sentence note from a 10 year old child. A kind word found in a bag of treasure is a real treasure, indeed.
And the bag is part of the gift. Now a person who has next to nothing has a really neat canvas bag to carry his meager possessions. I saw a guy with an old bag on his shoulder and asked him if he got it last time we were down. He said no, he traded for it – so the bag has value as well as the contents. One guy came up to the truck on crutches and when I handed him the bag, he said his leg felt better already. Another guy said that this was probably the only thing he was going to get to eat all day. Ladies bags are a big hit. I see ladies trading clothes when we go back thru after passing out bags. Homeless people want to be clean and look good, too. They just don’t have the resources to do so.
The financing for the bags comes from Alcoa. I received a small community action grant from the Alcoa Corporation Foundation. In looking for a way to maximize the impact of my limited funds and broaden the awareness of the monumental problem of homelessness, I hit on the idea of the Green Bag. They liked the idea and have supplied the money to buy the bags and I take it from there. The Alcoa Foundation likes the NBB Cross-Country Fund, too and has supported that NBB project as well.
However, without the Blues, the Green Bag Program never gets off the ground. So many of you have helped and are still helping. Lynn, of course, is involved because we support each other in whatever we do. Howard Brown and Lisa Smithline are quite involved. Howard, because he has a good heart and this project really captured his imagination – Lisa because she is on a mission to save the world and this is a cool step on her journey. All three help distribute empty bags and pick them up when full. They go with me quite regularly when we take the bags downtown and help shepherd those curious participants who want to be come along and hand out bags. Many of the Blues, like Steve and Diana, have made the journey down to the "Nickel" as the center of Skid Row is called. And even more have helped fill bags. Pat Pelletier asked me to speak at the school where she is principal. The kids got the idea immediately and filled about 60 bags. Vic Cohen asked me to speak at his Synagogue and the congregation was wonderful. They filled about 80 bags. Vic’s son did a project for his Bar Mitzvah and filled over 270 bags. In fact, Vic and Sherri have made a couple of distribution trips with me. Kathy Heath set me up with an Executive Secretaries Association and they are still filling bags. Miriam - of Duane and Miriam - put me in contact with an internet group that provided about 100 bags. Bonnie Ades arranged for me to speak 2 years running at the school where she teaches and the kids have been wonderful in their understanding and generosity. Lionel brings me cases of toothbrushes. I’m sure he strong-arms the Butler people regularly. These are just a few of the connections and opportunities to share I have made thru our club. The point is that the running community and specifically the New Basin Blues is my base of operation in this homeless outreach program. The Blues have proven themselves to be wonderfully giving and thoughtful in sharing with those who are the least in our midst. You really care about your fellow man and it shows. I salute you for your generosity and continue to call on you to share some of the junk in your trunk with the homeless. We have brought in the Mountain Goats, Jeff from Runnergy and the guys at Phidippides as well. I have addressed businesses, church groups, school classes and associations over the last year and a half. Mostly thru contacts made from my running friends
Here’s the Pitch: If you have a group that you think would like to participate, please let me know. I will come and speak most anytime and place. I will bring bags, suggestion lists, pictures along with the whole dog and pony show to your church, school, organization, family reunion or whatever. When the bags are filled, Howard or Duff will come and pick them up and get them out of your hair. If you, or any adult or teenager would like to accompany us to Skid Row, you are invited to see just what this is all about. I especially like to take teenagers because they need the exposure. I’ve found young people very receptive once they get the idea. Pre-teens need to fill bags and teens need to come along to hand out bags to homeless people.
If you want some empty bags to fill and don’t want me to do the pitch, that’s OK, too. I can give them to you or send them as you wish. Of course, if you would like a bag or two to fill yourself, just ask! Duffy, Lynn, Howard or Lisa all have a pile of green bags in the car. The joke is that most runners can usually fill a bag just from the stuff in the trunk.
Of course, taking people to Skid Row to hand out bags is very important. I've come to believe this is a vital part of the program. When people come with me, they are touched. No, that's not strong enough. Often, they are moved - always they are impressed. These are the secret soldiers in the war on homelessness, even though they don't know it. The tragedy that unfolds daily in downtown will never end until the powers at City Hall face the problem honestly. And that won't happen until the populace of the city forces them to do just that. So, the more people are appalled by the condition of their fellow man right in their very midst, the sooner we can change things. I assure you, when you come with me to Skid Row you will be affected by the condition of the people you are helping.
So, thanks for all your help - but it’s still your turn. I’ll take that bag of old race shirts you can’t bear to toss out but don’t have room to keep. I’ll take that box full of soaps from hotels you keep moving out of your way. I thought Sandy Gitmed was wonderfully inventive when she provided about 50 blanket bedrolls while cleaning out her aunt’s house. You see, the opportunities to share really are only limited by your imagination.
See ya on the trails,
Duffy
7/7/07
4/2/07
Candis & Nathaniel after he completed the Diaper Dash
Charlie & Nathaniel competing in the 5K
11/23/06
I don't have my laptop so I will simply dash off this
quick note on my BlackBerry to tell you of my final long run for the marathon. I
am in the Patagonia region of Argentina at 2400 elevation feet in the Andes. It
has to be in my top 3 all time runs. I ran the first 4 miles on trails thru the
forest and along lake shores. After 4 miles I ran along side a road. I think I
was able to count the number of cars I saw on one hand. I saw a spectacular
glacial lake, gorgeous views, hawks by the dozen, and huge snow capped, granite
mountains rising straight up next to me. Everywhere I turned was another
breathtaking view. I was even slightly disappointed when I finished it was so
enjoyable. Honestly, words probably can't do it true justice it was so
spectacular and awe inspiring. When I get home I will email pictures and a
little longer explanation. Hope all is well.
Ken Kochakji
I want to thank the LA Laker Girls for cheering me on at the 8th Annual Ovarian Cancer 5k Run. I came in 4th place in my age group. My time was 26:56 minutes or an average of 8:30 minutes per mile.
Oh, I bet you say that to all the boys!
8/14/06
This has been an exciting and hectic few months. I am adjusting to retirement quite well, keeping just busy enough. We arrived in Texas on July 3rd, enjoyed a lovely small town Independence Day celebration, watching fireworks to the east and a lightning show to the south. We did our first walk-through on July 5th, moved in July 7th and had all our worldly goods delivered July 9th. No sooner did we move in than we were off to St. Croix. Returning really made us feel like this is our home. We have a family of deer who graze in the meadow and woodland to the east of us. It is such a treat to go out in the evening and watch them. We do have to be cautious driving at night because deer are quite prevalent.
The house is truly moved in with all the pictures hung. We love it
here.
One of the main reasons we are here is for the grandkids, and they feel right at home at our house. Noah and Jake love to spend the night. Gabe is still a bit of a mama's boy, so he enjoys having her all to himself when his brothers are with Mimi and Papa Saul.
Saul's first assignment is in Dallas, but his days are all lumped together with as many as 6 days in a row off, so that works out nicely. We are meeting our neighbors, and many of us are California transplants. The neighborhood is diverse and well-integrated, something that is very important to us. I have attended my first Williamson County Democratic Meeting and will be phone banking and supporting Jim Stauber for State Representative. He was at the meeting and I really liked him. He retired 11 years ago and moved here from Minnesota.
I will be making my first trip back to Carpinteria August 21st and will
be there until September 10th. I would love to hear from you and it would
be fun if we could get-together, perhaps a day at the beach
Love,
5/31/06
Here are some photos of the race - the
environs- and the course monitors. Actually they were wild camels we saw on the
way to Kumran, not far from Ein Gedi.
The race was 2/18/06 - I ran 1:53:55, 2nd vatikot division (Hebrew for female
altakaker)
The course was potentially super fast but we had some wind problems. It is an
out & back on the road from Ein Gedi Spa to Masada entry road and back - almost
completely flat and ~1200 meters below sea level.
Anyhow - it was fun. The online registration did not work, and I was afraid I
wouldn't be able to get in because the race was on shabbat, but they don't seem
to worry much about that by the Dead Sea -
Robin Charin
Finally, after searching my computer for the appropriate pictures, I have found some of the FAMOUS REDONDO 10K COSTUME CONTEST pictures and articles. When I do the race, it has always been a joke (please disregard my times.......this year I even had my husband's number, so "I" was very slow. I have attached the entries from the last 3 years. Bring Back New Orleans (Mardi Gras) was 2006, Dolly Parton Madison and Samuel Adams was 2005 and Sponge Bob, Baby Bob and the Pirate were 2004. The local paper wrote an article on us in 1999.
The 1st New Basin Blues Rocky Peak Thursday Night Run was a definite hit among those runners willing to challenge the world of the lions and tigers and bears on the trails after dark. Vic ran the trail at 5PM, and there were about 9 of us in the later 6PM group (not sure of exact count), including Gayathri, our newest member. It was a practically perfect running night; warm (after you started running) with no wind. And the recent rain had packed down the sand and soot so the footing was pretty good. Just a few spots had some ruts and rocks to watch for.
Not being used to night running, I was a little anxious before the run about the trail, night creatures, footing, visibility, and the unknown. But one of the benefits of running with a club is that you’re with a group on the trails and so feel more secure. The pre-run anxieties vanished after about a minute and a half.
Our run chairman, Larry, brought along some headlamps for us newbies to night-running. And in honor of celebrating this first night run, he brought us glowstick necklaces and bracelets! I was a little slow going up the hill, but up ahead I could see these soft purple glows wending their way up the 4 miles or so to the Fossils. It was a super sight!
So a big Thank You!! to Larry for thinking of this fun Blues Night Run.
And I just want to say that I thought that this was a special run: good friends, nice night, views of the valleys, and fun run. What could be better?
Hope to see everyone at the next one!
Although I am loathe to "toot" my horn I will hold that modesty in abeyance for the following: GO to www.Volkslauf.com for text & photos. Out of 433 young bucks I was 46th.It was the hardest 10K I have ever done.
There were 2 miles of mud pits, then a pure running portion of about 3 miles with no obstacles. It was here that I gained a lot of time, passing the no neck ham fisted all upper body strength youngsters. The chicken armed 5/Min Mile pace pure runners were still trying to get over the first obstacle that, required any semblance of upper body strength that I was able to hurdle.
During the run portion devoid of any obstacles as I passed runners I put them into 3 categories 1) Old warriors 2) Could be my kid 3) Could be my grand kids. Sadly there were far more in categories 2 & 3 than 1.
The last 1/2 mile was a pure obstacle course and I felt more
like John Candy in stripes.
9/28/05
Dear New Basin Blues Running Club Members,
My name is Yadhira Contreras, the x-country coach from Canoga High. On behave of all my runners and their families, I wish to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the wonderful, generous deed you did for our kids. It was very refreshing to see that a group of individuals unite their efforts to help the less privileged in our communities. I was really moved by the gesture and your unconditional kindness. My kids were very happy and excited. It is not an everyday event that they are treated like “the stars of the show”, especially by strangers. They were talking about the generosity of your club for days and they remember your kindness every time they look at their shoes as they are running. It is difficult to find the right words to convey our gratitude, we only wish there were more people like you, who give themselves to their passion for running and to promoting it to our youngsters. When I look around me and see that the majority of the people are self-centered and unaware of the needs or short comings of others, I think of your club and it brings a soothing feeling to my heart. There is hope and thanks to people like you I feel inspired to continue helping and supporting the development of those who need it most, our community kids. Thanks again and please keep on doing what you do so well. God bless you all.
Sincerely,
Yadhira Contreras
Hello Mr. Block,
This is Fernando Fernandez. I am the Reseda High School Cross Country Coach. I
wanted to take a minute of your time to thank you, the new basin blues and Alcoa
for all of your generosity towards our kids. You have no idea how happy you and
your group made our youngsters. Once again Thank you and we look forward to
joining your group on your Sunday runs whenever possible.
thank you,
Fernando Fernandez
9/24/05
Saturday, September 17th, started on a good note when a doe and 3 adolescent deer wandered into the meadow to graze right in front of us. It was 6:30 AM at the Marvin Braude Park in the Santa Monica Mountains, right where Nancy sets up for the Valley Crest Half-Marathon, a stone’s throw from Reseda in the San Fernando Valley and on the edge of the park called "Big Wild." The kids were due in an hour so we had to hurry our set-up but, of course, everyone stopped to watch the deer.
The New Basin Blues Running Club with the help of the Alcoa Corporation hosted a benefit for the Cross Country teams from Reseda and Canoga Park High Schools. We took about 60 kids for a run in Topanga Sate Park, fed them breakfast, provided t-shirts and singlets to all, and took 42 them to Phidippides Running Store on Ventura Blvd. for an new pair of running shoes, all financed by NBB member donations and a grant from Alcoa.
The Blues consider running cross country in high school is a worthwhile activity. We are convinced that this type of behavior needs to be rewarded and supported. When adults validate kids’ good choices, they are more likely to continue constructive behavior. In this small way, the Blues try to benefit our community. And that is why we saw the deer.
We sent Lionel and Bonnie out to chalk the trail. I don’t know how, but they used as much chalk in 3 turns as I usually use in a whole run. They also ran sweep coming back. Since Bonnie is a teacher and used to keeping track of kids, we didn’t loose a one.
The kids arrived about 7:30 in cars driven by parents, Alcoans, and Blues. After the obligatory start picture, they charged up the fire road, shepherded by NBB runners and coaches Yari Contreras of Canoga Park and Fernando Fernandez of Reseda. Many thanks to Vic Cohen, Jon Tice, Tosh and Ed, from the Roadrunners, for running up front with the big dogs. And, of course, to everyone for shepherding the group to the Hub and back. Walter was eagle eyed on Dirt Mulholland, with Lynn and Pat at Fire Road 30, and others scattered along the route. The kids are young and fast so it’s a challenge for the adults to control the run. The fast ones are off like a shot with the rest strung out on the trail following the chalk marks. The air was crisp and not yet hot – everyone ran strong and was well pleased with the hour and 10 minute run.
Breakfast in the meadow where the deer had been an hour and a half before, consisted of fruit, bagels, sweet rolls, nuts, water, sports drinks and other runner food. Jeanne and Ken brought a table full; Pat Pelletier talked Starbucks out of about a gallon and a half of high test coffee, Howard brought 2 lovely watermelons we didn’t even open. It was the usual NBB table and ice chest about tripled.
Alcoa T-shirts and NBB singlets were distributed to everyone. Then it was down to the shoe store for the 42 kids selected. In fact, the kids decided who got free shoes. We’ll get them all next time.
Phidippides opened early for us. In fact, those guys had as much fun as we did. The kids have been running in cheap on-sale junk but Phidippides is a big-time running store so Craig, Jeff and all the guys treated each one like a bio-mechanical work of art. The kids were rapt, soaking up information like history teachers could only envy. The picture of adult runners helping young runners was not lost on anyone. Finally the kids had new shirts, shoes and a greater appreciation of running. We piled them into cars and trucks and sent them home happy.
The Blues did this cool thing. We did it out of our love for running and certainty that kids who run are better off than if they didn’t. This event was about 3 times larger than what we have done before and it worked just great. In fact, the Alcoa people thought we knew what we were doing and I guess we really did. The experience brought us in close contact with a lot of young energy, which, upon further application, is destined to enrich all of our lives.
Let’s do it again, boys and girls. Time to build up the X/C Fund again. Send a check today…
See ya on the trails,
Duffy
6/14/05
Danielle Branton
It all starts with a very
steep climb!
Well what could be better than stomping on the ol' stomping ground? I grew up
hiking and running up and down dirt Mulholland, tucked away in the hills not far
from the hustle and bustle of fast-paced L.A.
I wanted to thank the race director, Nancy Shura, for doing a superb job on her
race.
People, come and run this race if you want to feel cared-for and special, seek a
challenging course with great views (read hills) and great prizes. It was
like racing with family - well you, the New Basin Blues and the Ultra Ladies,
are all my Southern California running family - like having a bunch of aunts,
uncles and cousins out there cheering for me. My running partner from Henderson,
Nevada, Rhonda Kilfoyle commented, "It was wonderful to see such cheerful
camaraderie among the volunteers."
Grant's help with parking maneuverings were appreciated and provided some
pre-race stress/comic-relief. Sandy Gitmed found my bib - I was nervous I
didn't have one as I registered late and was worried it was sent to my home in
Las Vegas. Lenny was privy to my "top secret" running goal for this week's race
and wished me well at the start which helped motivate me up that first hill.
Having Duffy, Lynn, Howard, Jeannie, Ken and the gang man the aid stations gave
me something to look forward to. The cool weather did make a difference as it
allowed me to execute my "top secret" strategy of running all the
downhills as fast as possible while keeping strong and steady on the uphills.
I was in good company between friends manning the aid stations and yelling words
of encouragement to actually meeting up with Michelle from Boulder City to chat
with for the first few miles. Rhonda had mentioned there was a third Nevada
lady running so it was a treat to meet finally her! At that point I decided I
was having too much fun to care about my time. I just would be happy to finish
faster this year which I was on track to do, no problem. Twice I saw my mother
fly by and she looked strong both times.
Somehow despite the chatty first half, I managed to catch up with Arlene Lewis
so we were able to encourage each other to run strong. Later I found out she
tripped and turned her ankle only to continue to finish strong - talk about
tough!
A big moment of excitement was around mile 8 or 9, while I was climbing toward
the Nike aid station when I saw the first woman flying down the mountain in hot
pursuit by the second woman. What was surprising, or maybe not so surprising
was that first woman was Rhonda! I told her earlier I believed in her ability
to win this race and was elated to see she actually believed in herself too!
All that chasing after her through the desert, sprinting past snakes, through
Red Rock and 8000' Mt. Charleston wilderness, down the dusty Vegas and Green
Valley streets and over the dusty "hills of Colossus" paid off! I was dying to
find out how it all panned out. Seeing her confidently striding along helped me
to refocus on my goal.
I figured I could realize my time goal that I almost wrote off by having too
much fun the first few miles. I kept telling myself, "Keep going, it'll
happen," over and over in my head. Soon it would be over. Slowing down wasn't
an option. Then it was time for that endless half-mile hill that made for a
long death march last year. I wasn't about to walk this time. With less than a
mile to go the breeze was cool and the breathing was steady so mine as well keep
on keeping on. When I finally crested that killer mountain I saw Dad standing
there with the camera. I was afraid he was going to make me stop and pose. All
I could remember saying was, "Under two hours Dad." It's funny the things that
come to mind in the heat of the moment. Because it appeared as if there were a
couple of extra tenths of a mile thrown in at the end, I realized I had to gun
it down that scary steep hill to make my time goal. Yikes! Somehow I managed
without falling and with about 10 seconds to spare - a very satisfying sub 2
hour half-marathon on a challenging hilly course and a 16 minute PR over
last year's time. Now to plot next year's "top secret goal"... shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
5/26/05
A long time ago, in a land far, far away… Oh no! Wait a minute… that’s the wrong tale. This is a local legend.
If you’ve been running in the San Fernando Valley or the Santa Susanna Mountains for any length of time, you’ve probably heard this tale. Do you already know the Secret of the Three Trees?
About one-half mile below Mission Peak, there stands a small group of tall oak trees which have probably been there since the beginning of time. What is the secret they hide? Rumour has it that many years ago, the secret was first revealed to a group of serious runners from Granada Hills High School, who used to train in the hills surrounding Mission Peak. It was on one of their training runs that the secret was first revealed to them. These hardcore devotees of the sport swore to never reveal it. And anyone to whom the secret is revealed must take a similar vow. Should the vow of secrecy be broken, legend has it that the trees will take their revenge upon that unfortunate soul. And so the Secret of the Three Trees remains hidden to all but a few serious long-distance runners who have uncovered it.
The Three Trees, which are visible from almost any point in the Valley (on a smog-free day), beckon to us to at last free them from the burden which The Secret has placed upon them. And, some of us who are aware of The Secret, wonder if it wouldn’t be in the public interest to at last reveal it. But then prudence prevails. And so, it remains a secret to this day.
So, if you are running in the north end of the Valley, stay alert and you too may uncover the Secret of the Three Trees.
Do any of you know the Secret of the Three Trees? Shhhhhhhhhh……..
Lewis & Clarke
5/32/05
by Jack Perrodin
There's been a race going on in the San Gabriel's for 12 years now that I just heard about. It's the El Prieto Handicap. That' right, you have a handicap. There is no entry fee either. Each runner starts according to his or her handicap determined by the Race Director from your recent times. (Honor System). The distance is somewhere around 4.25 miles, but on the rather challenging El Prieto Trail to Mallard Campground. (The last leg of the AC 100). The race goes up one year and down the next. This was the up hill year. There were 14 stream crossings this year and the trail is pretty rough from the rains. Essentially, the Race Director, Chuck O'Shea, figures that everyone should finish at about 1:30.30 from the first starter who, by the way, is a blind lady. My handicap, figured from the Catalina Marathon was 08:25, so I started at 08:08.25. I finished within 1:30 minutes of the prediction. The RD really did the handicapping very well as the bulk of runners were within 1 to 3 minutes off and the bulk finished at the same time. After the race we all walked/ran down to the start in Hahahomunga Park. (formerly Oakwood). We were treated to a great post race table of goodies and a Tee Shirt. Chuck limits the race to 50 and charges nothing. He even gives the first place runner a "used" trophy and has a great BBQ at his home in Long Beach that night.
Out of 41 starters, I came in 10th with the handicap. The uphill record is around 29:30 and the downhill is around 27: 30. Lots of dogs ran and everyone had a great time.
Now that's the way to run a race!
11/23/04
|
10/29/04
Duffy Walton
Recently, Lynn and I took a trip following the Lewis and Clark Expedition down the Clearwater, Snake and Columbia Rivers to the sea at the Oregon coast. We were able to run in some of the most beautiful areas of the country and really get a feel for that incredible journey of 200 years ago. I was fortunate to run thru a part of the only temperate rain forest in the western hemisphere at the mouth of the Columbia River. Lewis and Clark spent the winter of 1805/06 in this forest waiting for spring and the journey back. I ended up running by myself on trails covered with wet moss, wet mushrooms, wet everything. The canopy is deep green and high overhead with ferns of every description growing on every fallen log and amorphous bump. Soft footing, cool weather, forest growth and forest creatures mark a wilderness we desert dwellers seldom see. They have running water that nobody owns! Runners can't have more fun than this. I stopped under a giant Sitka Spruce and just listened (not an easy task for me). I could feel the Corps of Discovery right there, hunting elk in this same forest 199 years ago almost to the day. It was a grand experience but I must admit I'm glad I had my New Balance 2030's and a way home that didn't entail an ultra-run over the continental divide.
10/13/04
Chama, NM is a small town in the mountains of northern NM, approximately 1 1/2 hours drive northwest of Santa Fe. Highlights of Chama include the Cumbres & Toltec Narrow Gauge RR (1880), miles of pristine trails for hiking, running, biking, XC skiing, abundant natural mineral hot tubs, river rafting, horseback riding, hot air ballooning and some of the best trout fishing (and hunting) in the country. The nearest traffic light is at least an hour away, in any direction. At an altitude of 7,850 feet and with 300 days of sunshine, the Chama Valley is New Mexico's premier alpine wilderness. Winter brings lots of snow and sun, but little wind. Chama is home to large elk, deer, bear, mountain lion, wild turkey, and eagles. After several years of reconnoitering, Larry and I have decided to make Chama our home. We will be living on 25 acres in a beautiful 30-year old double-walled adobe farm home called "Juniper Hills Ranch". We are excited to have the opportunity for a new adventure in our lives.
Our plan is to return to L.A. each June (at a minimum) to stage the Valley Crest Half Marathon and possibly the Bulldog races. We look forward to getting ourselves into some kind of running condition by then, to run with you on our visits to L.A.
We will always cherish the memories of times spent with our running community: runs around the Basin, trail runs, Boston Marathons, and of course the UltraLadies. The way we feel about you all makes you family to us. We hope that you will feel welcome to join us for a visit, to experience the charm of this little bit of heaven in the northern NM mountains!
Our computer will be down for a couple of weeks beginning 10/14/04.
OXXO
Happy trails,
Nancy & Larry Dervin
(If you'd like Nancy & Larry's new address, contact Stan at mailto:sblock@socal.rr.com)
6/9/04
Ed. Note: See Paul's earlier note re: his knee from last September (link)
6/1/04
by Pat Bates
Last winter my mother described to me a strange reaction she had to an antibiotic she was given for a relatively minor infection – something about it causing Achilles and rotator cuff tendon rupture. I thought that was a pretty strange thing for an antibiotic to do, but then, my mother gets some pretty strange things, so that went into deep storage.
Fast forward to mid-April. I came down with a minor infection, and my doctor gave me samples of Levaquin (levofloxacin). This is a relatively new antibiotic in the same class as Cipro (quinolones). The name sounded familiar, so I looked the drug up on the web after taking it for two days – sure enough, according to the literature ‘Ruptures of the shoulder, hand, or Achilles tendons that required surgical repair or resulted in prolonged disability have been reported in patients receiving quinolones, including levofloxacin.’ It goes on to imply that this unpleasant result is most likely in elderly people on corticosteroid therapy. The drug is supposed to work by inhibiting enzymes required for bacterial DNA replication, transcription, etc. It is obviously doing something to things other than bacteria – like dissolving human connective tissue.
All was well for three days – the UTI went away & I was already registered for a half marathon in La Jolla. Since I am not elderly, I decided to go ahead & give it a try. To make a long story short, all was well for about 4 miles until I felt like there was an icepick stuck in each of my Achilles tendons. Needless to say I dropped out of the race, but if I had not known about the side effect I would probably have tried to run through it. It is still not really back to normal after 6 weeks, and I am not sure it ever will be.
Turns out there are a massive number of adverse drug reaction reports citing tendon damage from levofloxacin, many of them from runners or sadly, former runners. There are very few similar complaints about Cipro. I have not been able to find any research on treatment or duration of the damage, and therefore treated it by kind of not running for a few days.
So beware – if you get the little free sample box it won’t have the literature with the warning in it, and the doctors seem to really be pushing Levaquin. If you must take it, be careful.
Both Mom and I are in training to run our first marathon together - my very first marathon and one of her many :-)
We decided on the Rock 'n' Roll Phoenix in January because the timing worked perfectly with the recovery of my hamstring attachment injury I suffered last Winter while training for my first marathon, Paris, plus we were invited to stay with a friend.
I can't tell you how happy I am that my final runs - all my 20-somethings will be run with Mom, the most inspiring training partner one could ask for, not just me, myself and my MP3 player! I was soooo happy to finally share my gorgeous awe-inspiring training grounds with my Mom. She is the best marathon mentor one could ask for!
Soon we would be surrounded by fantastic desert scenery at the perfect time of year - late fall :-)
Saturday we arrived at Red Rock at about a quarter to 8:00. It wasn't as cold as the day before - maybe 40-ish - so I opted just for a long sleeve shirt over a short sleeve running shirt, my leggings and my fuzzy ear thingie. We also had hand-warmers in our gloves. I felt like a pack mule with all my stuff crammed into my belt - 3 gels, extra battery, toilet paper in case the loos were out (often the case), legal pain relieving drugs, baggie of Cytomax, car key and water.
We set off and the first couple miles were easy. After warming up for 1.5 miles, we walked the first mini-uphill to bathroom number one and sipped our water while I was thinking there will be many more hills and much bigger ones.
By mile 5 I was absolutely tooo hot for my gloves and the long sleeve shirt and was gladly to chuck them behind "our shrub." We refilled our water bottles, leaving 1.5 bottles for our return.
Then the hills started - or hill repeats I should say. I like to multitask and get hills and LSD's in at the same time (heehee).
By mile 8 we were happy to have found our next shrub (smartly marked with 3 rock piles so I could recognize them - feeling like such the outdoorsy Girl Scout type here), refilled our bottles at the Highest Point lookout and ate our gels. Green Apple was surprisingly good. That works out because Mom dislikes green apple and she has a ton to give away, LOL.
We just turned back to the road to continue when Dad's car pulled up. We gave him a quick hug and kiss, he said he would find a 2 hour hike and meet us afterward.
Ok, on the way to the turnaround point at mile 10 I noticed the distinct downhill grade that was not rolling at all :( These were virgin Red Rock miles. Up until this point I have always turned around at mile 8 to run 16 at Red Rock (already did that 3 times!) and have only run 18 miles at the Santa Monica once. As well it has been sooo long since I have run the whole loop in reverse I forgot about that perpetual grade from Sandstone Quarry back to Highest Point.
My mind was beginning to formulate a new route for us that would give us some variety and avoid a 1500 foot climb on the way back. Hey, the formulation took us a couple miles.
After we reached Sandstone Quarry, our turn around point, I hugged the mile marker and a couple runners going by said nothing and must have thought I was nuts, LOL. At that point I decided for sure we would forge ahead on a little adventure instead of going for the tried and true "out and back."
I suggested to my Mom we finish the loop (13 miles) and at the visitor center ask how many miles to the end parking lot where our car is parked and then do another out and back of a couple miles into the park again.
Then I thought about the Tortoise Trot trail run and how that might be more exciting, pick up the road again at the end of that trail which bisects the park and run the remaining 5 back or until Dad sees us. It may mean a little more mileage, but would be more fun and easier on the joints since part would be on trail.
After questioning the most less than knowledgeable volunteers in the Visitors Center (usually they are VERY helpful, but not today) about the mileage of various trails, we set off on the Tortoise Trot. It was a lovely run through the desert that lasted almost 4 miles, more than I estimated (didn't realize it was that long). Then we ended up on a switch back above the second bathroom so we ran down that (another .5-ish miles), refueled and re-watered and carried on.
BTW, on the Tortoise Trot trail (not the official name, but that is what I call it because of the 4 mile out and back race I recently rant on it) I noticed two other female runners running past us. That really gave me hope about eventually switching to pure trail running at Red Rock.
At what became our 17-mile mark I did drink water and forcibly shared a third Gel with Mom (I didn't want it - the thought of it was stomach turning, but I knew I needed it so we wouldn't hit the wall). Even though it was yummy, my favorite Mocha, it was just gross at the time. Water seemed yucky too but again I forced it down - gag!
Between mile 17 and 19 my stomach was rebelling a bit and couldn't stand digesting the new contents. But I diverted my mind.
A butterscotch hard candy did lift my spirits though - thanks Mom! (making mental note to self about hard candies)
BTW, my Mom and I talked the entire time and not once did we need our own personal orchestras (MP3's).
I realized Dad may be done with his hike and our detour cost us some time as well as the trail taking a bit longer due to the footwork needed to navigate it (slower to avoid potholes, rocks, tripping, etc.) but that part was a lot of fun and took my mind off of the enormity of our task during those tumultuous "teen years."
At the 20-mile mark we stopped at our final bush and got our waters. The last two miles were bonus miles and it didn't matter if we ran or walked them - yeah!
We ran them of course :-)
Once we hit the downhill (the hill my Mom thought was a hill at the start, but not compared to the rest of the park) we were flying. Or more like I was flying to keep up with my Mom who suddenly had this burst of energy. She wanted it to be done and she always tries to finish faster with a negative split. Good training, but by now I was finished!
The last mile took forever it seemed, but we kept going. We did stop once at exactly 1 mile to go to drink some water (more for the brain than for the body) and kept running.
Once we made the final turn we saw the lot and who we thought may be Dad standing there. It was OVAH!
We ran to the gate and stretched and never sooooo happy than to see Dad in my entire life.
He wondered what happened to us and asked others that were coming out if they saw us.
I told him of our adventure and how we altered the route to have more FUN and how happy we were to run on a trail instead of the road which was more dangerous that day due to the Thanksgiving tourists
I am soooo happyyyy :-D about that run. It was fun as an LSD could be, an adventure (felt like we were doing Eco Challenge or some such thing), gorgeous and DONE! Only 2 more 20 milers to do and the bigger deal is that my 22 is done so I don't have to do 22 again - yeah! I can now cross that one off the list.
I will DO this marathon! Am feeling very confident about it now. We could have done it Saturday! What was another 4-ish miles (heehee).
Although I wasn't sore the next day or today, my legs feel fatigued when I stand and sit.
I did notice during the run at certain times as various muscles were being recruited into soreness that each complained and then became part of the overall dull throb that just became "normal" in the late teens. I didn't notice anything hurting anymore once the muscles announced their initial complaints - whew!
Anyway, Mom and I will run this race together in January. I am actually allowing myself to get excited about it for the first time.
