22 Min Run (Race) Long Beach Turkey Trot 5K

LONG BEACH, Calif. -- For the fifth year in a row, went down to LB for the Turkey Trot with the Reeds and JDP. Micah and Caroline Pardilla also joined up this year.

Went out hoping to get 22 and was right in the place I wanted to be at 22:04 (7:07 m/m). In this race, there are no clocks or mile markers, so it was nice to see myself so close to the goal. Literally almost dead on. The race is also weird in that you not only loop back against the traffic of most of the runners on the narrow bike path, but this time...there was the remnants of the 8:30a 10k still walking. It was ridiculous.

But that's why you don't get worked up over 4 seconds at the LB turkey trot. It was a great run. Micah had a strong debut at 26:59, I think Phil was in the 26s, JDP was 23:20ish, Andrew I don't remember...maybe 25s and Tony right around 20. Nice. Love the Turkey Trot.

UPDATE: One other bit of bizarre with this race...they don't record times. No official timing beyond the finish line clock. What the hell is the $30 for? I don't really understand why this race is so big and cool yet so poorly managed. The site actually brags that the $10,000 that would go to timing (right...if it were chipped timing, maybe) all goes to charity. Except the charity is run by the guy who runs the race. Just adds to the mystique of this weirdo run. Next time, I'm just gonna trot with someone...maybe someone will do the 10k with me on the jog.

25 Min Run (Push)

HOLLYWOOD -- Went out to do some quick speed work after the long run on Saturday. Really just wanted to see if I could get the mile in @ 10 mph/6 mm. Did steps up from 8 to 8.5 to 9 to 9.5 to 10 with a minute each. That got to .68 miles by the time I got to 10. First mile was 6:58ish. Did the full six min mile, then stepped back a bit to 9, I think. Two miles was something around 13 or so. And I realized that if I could keep up the six min pace (which I couldn't) I could do a sub-20 5K. Pretty cool to see that if even from afar and on a treadmill.

Had some inkling in my mind to do 3 miles in under 20. But I was a bit worried about injury, considering my history with pushing too hard on treadmills (right heel) and a race coming up. Plus, I'd just done 14. A little speed bullcrap wasn't really that impressive.

So with 3 miles coming up in a half mile or so I knew that sub-20 wasn't in the cards. But then I realized that it would be close. And if that were close, then a sub-21 5k was a definite, legitimate possibility...if not a certainty if I could pull my head out of my tush.

So amped it up to around 9 ish, I think and took it in for a 20:45 (6:40 mm), then did full minute cool downs back to 7.5. Look at that time. That's really incredible. That's a full minute ahead of where my goal for this week was.

But this is a treadmill. And, for what it's worth, I believe I may have finally crossed the threshold from "treadmill is equal or harder than" road running to "treadmill is easier" than road running. I think this threshold exists around the 8.5 mph or 9 mph mark. Just a guess. Either way, that was a good run any way you look at it. Another solid workout in what has been a tremendous year of them.

125 Mins (Push) --158--

HOLLYWOOD/LOS FELIZ/SILVERLAKE -- Skipped last night so I could get the delectable double in. First a big loop through Hollywood, over to Vine and then down to Melrose, past Paramount and back over to Vermont then up. Took 7 to 10 mins to refuel and hydrate.

Then back out for the Reservoir loop. Really set out to get something around 12 or 13 at best and went beyond. So I called off the dogs with about a mile point five to go and just walked back. Really dried out. Really hot feet. Really stressed everything. But it was awesome. That was a great effort today.

38 Min Run (Run) --161.5--

LOS FELIZ -- This was a lighter run than usual to recover from yesterday on the safe side. But I mixed in a few extended 5K+ pace stretches to get a little speed work in.

36 Min Run (Push) --161.5--

LOS FELIZ -- The air finally cleared enough to get an outdoor, normal run on the old loop. Wanted to go yesterday, but it just looked a bit too nasty form here to downtown. Eck.

Had a good pace right off the bat and kept it going. Picked off someone on the front end and picked off another on the way back. Really plowed through this thing. Might have well been the fastest I've ever run this loop, but I don't keep track of that kind of stuff, so who knows. Felt fast and strong the whole way. Awesome. Not running sucks.

34 Min Run (Run) --162.5--

HOLLYWOOD -- Over at the Y as the air around LA is toxic at the moment. Very happy to get any run in. This one went well. Did a kind of ladder deal, mile at 7.1 mile at 7.5 mile at 8.1 mile mile at 8.6 then steps back down. So the last mile was at sub seven pace.

I think the 5K was 24:43 and the 4 Mile was at 31 something. Nice 'n' easy.

20 Min Run (Run)

LAS VEGAS -- Judging day went out after being up pretty much all night for a quick one. Got three in on this trip, which is significantly better than I thought it would go. So hurrah.

20 Min Run (Push)

LAS VEGAS -- Wasn't sure how much time I had, so decided to do some speedwork. Actually, this is what I should have been doing here and there in the past few weeks, but never squeezed in. I know the biggest gains in time in these shorter distances almost all tie back to speedwork.

The air, again, seemed to make my lungs tighten up. Coming to Vegas as an LA runner, I wasn't expecting that. But I think the air here is worse than in the city. Weird.

37 Min Run (Run)

LAS VEGAS -- Went out from the Palms here on some of the city streets up toward Clark High School, back down Decateur and home to the hotel. Nice enough day. I think cars have more noxious fumes in this town. Who knows. Not a very pretty run, but it did the job. Certainly wasn't expecting to be able to get one in today...so bonus.

38 Min Run (light) --161.5--

LOS FELIZ -- Nice little recovery run. Feet are finally not blistering up like hell everytime I run in the new shoes. Hurrah.

70 Min Run (Run)

SAN FRANCISCO -- Went a little bonkers on a morning jaunt after the Bay broke clear and crisp in the sunshine. No fog. Perfect temps. Went from my weirdly cheap yet OK hotel basically on one street all the way over to the Golden Gate area, the park by Alcatraz and down nearly to the base of the bridge.

It's my favorite landmark in that city, an admission I make only after a while because it's such a cliche. But it's the best. The shadows in the morning fall on the northern hill and the red paint is dammm near breathtaking when you first catch a glimpse after a few months break. I feel the same way about the Hollywood sign.

Anywho, it's easy to forget how beautiful the town is. I made the turn, thinking I had wasted all the nice scenery on the first half of the run, completely forgetting the skyline guides you home on the way back. Fog rolling in over Berkeley and a slight haze over the other edge of the city. So great.

36 Min Run (Run) --163.5--

LOS FELIZ -- Good one after the election. Pretty quick, pretty fun.

60 Min Run (light) --161--

LOS FELIZ -- Did the extended loop into Hollywood, but actually took Hollywood all the back to Vermont. Good idea. Blisters actually cut this one short.