54 Hours

The cold morning ghost

Presses on the canyon brush

With a thick, damp hand.

 Tuesday, November 16, 2021

 At 63, nearing the end of my working life, I have come nearly full circle and almost have the same final ideal work schedule that I had when I started on this crazy journey of work.

 I started happily working at age 12 when Mr. McGowan, the owner of McGowan’s market, the local mom and pop grocery store, offered me a weekend job. He paid me $6 to come in on the weekends to sweep the sidewalk, wash windows and do general cleaning and other odds and ends.

 6 bucks for a few hours early Sat/Sun morning back in 1970 seemed like a great gig and if the dude hadn’t sold the place a few years later, who knows, maybe I’d be an old man now still out there with broom and dustpan.

 In between then and now my predominant line of work was as an elementary school teacher, who’s hours weren’t all that bad and, though the pay and benefits were marginally better, it definitely was a lot more work both physically and mentally. Teaching did allow for weekend training/racing but squeezing in workouts after an exhausting day was challenging.

 For the past four years I’ve been working at a wellness retreat four days a week. But recently that’s been changed to a straight 54 hour shift starting Saturday morning and ending midday Monday with occasional Saturday mornings off to get out and race.

 This allows me four solid days to train, relax and do pretty much as I please. The only small downside is that I’ll need to take time (money) off occasionally if I want to compete on Sunday or have a significant race that requires long travel, but finally, near the end I hope, of this seemingly endless work cycle I’m back to working on the weekends .

Old Boney

An amorphous cloud

Hovers below the mountains

Slowly vanishing.

 Tuesday, November 2, 2021

 At the moment I’m in that transition phase where I’m still taking way too much time feeling good about myself from last weekend’s race before slapping myself to get it together and getting back to training and focusing on the present and future events.

 The Old Boney 20 miler, like just about every race, had its share of accomplishments and failures. I failed to hit my time goal of under 3 hours. This year I have not hit a time goal. I’m not missing by much though so I’m not going to write myself off as an out of touch optimist just yet. Next up will be a turkey trot where I’ll give under 20 in a 5k a final shot for this year.

 At Old Boney I did win my age group and came in 5^th overall in a very respectable 3:08. Next month I’ll shoot for an under 3-hour 30k on a far easier course, but with weather and what not…

 I did fall, but with minimal damage and not much of a setback. Otherwise, everything pretty much went according to plan. For the No Name 30k next month I’ll make some minor changes in equipment but will set out to keep the same basic plan and outlook.

 One racing element that was fortified by my approach is that for longer challenging races it’s wise to reign it in a bit at the start. Since Old Boney began at 6:30 a.m. the first 15 minutes were in the dark and all of the runners pretty much cruised and used that as a warmup. And that didn’t prevent the winner from doing a blazing 2:40 and running away from the rest of us mere mortals. Nor did it prevent me from feeling great once I got going and allowed me to work myself into the race where I felt very comfortable pushing the pace and challenging myself to do something special.

 Darkness won’t be an issue at No Name and given that the course is easier, the temptation to gun it at the start is going to be hard to constrain. Once I have more details, I’ll better be in a position to feel if a pre-race warmup is desirable or if I’ll be better off to again start slow and work my way into race pace. But my time and effort level sure felt right at Old Boney so it’ll be an interesting compare/contrast if I deviate.

 Alright already, enough pats on the back. It’s time to kick myself and get back to work.

Head to Toe

 

Native animal

Ragged yet sleek, sly, nimble

Though cautious near us.

 Monday, October 25, 2021

 Here’s why trail races are so intriguing to me; at the beginning of the month I ran one and next week I’ll run another and just about everything except the nearby locations will be very different.

 At the beginning of the month I ran the 25k Bull Dog and this Saturday I’ll run the initial Old Boney Trail 20 miler. Both runs are in the Santa Monicas and will probably feature similar dry hard pack trail conditions, but otherwise there’ll be enough changes to where what I’ll use will be almost completely different from head to toe.

 Next week’s race will be longer, colder and with aid stations spread further apart calling for almost a complete head to toe transformation.

 I’ll use this schematic to demonstrate with a brief justification for the changes:

                         Bull Dog               Old Boney                     Why

1.    Shoes – Salomon Pulsars       Salomon Ultra Glides    The Pulsars were great for about two hours, but as I’m getting older I just need a bit more for longer than that. Plus they don’t fit my Superfeet blue insoles. The Glides have been feeling great in 2+ hour runs so I’m pretty confident they’ll make it for the 3 and change I hope to do Old Boney in.

2.    Socks – Compress Sport Trail Crew socks (same)       Although I’m going to add CEP lite calf sleeves for warmth.

3.    Shorts -      Patagonia            2XU                      The Patagonia shorts with the two deep pockets in back worked great, but with the aid stations spread further apart and the race a tad longer I’m going to use the Naked band and pocketless compression shorts to hold a bit more.

4.    Shirt -         2XU            Ortovox               The race starts an hour earlier Saturday so going to short sleeve wool plus arm sleeves instead of sleeveless.

5.    Hat -           Headsweats (same)      I like the colors.

6.    Gloves-      OR              Brooks                 No real reason.

7.    Equipment -        Simple Hydration          Naked Band        At Bull Dog I started with an empty bottle, filled up at miles 3/7 and was good to go. At Old Boney with the first aid station not coming until mile 5 switching to Naked because it allows me to carry an Amphipod 20 oz. bottle without bouncing, so a little more capacity and no need to use the bottle as a handheld even for a little while which I have to do with the Simple Hydration bottle because shorts’ waistbands just aren’t taut enough until a few ounces are removed from it.  

8.    Hydration/Fuel    E-Fuel/SIS  Beta Fuel/SIS       Tested out the higher carb Beta Fuel on a test run today and no problems over 2+ hours so going to give it a go. Along with my new caffeine kicker – SIS super caffeinated gel with about an hour to go.

9.    Strategies - Hard Charging    Slow Start             With the 7:30 start at Bull Dog and a bunch of fast runners blazing out of the chute, it was hard not to get caught up in the drag of it all and not start too fast. Didn’t seem to hurt me much but am going to be happy to slow it down in the pre-dawn 6:30 start at Old Boney and cruise the first couple of miles until I can see where I’m going. With the extra 5 miles and a few challenging climbs, it should be easier to give my legs a decent 15 minutes to loosen up and then settle in.

It’s still a race and that means rolling the dice and gambling a bit. For example, though I’m familiar with some of the course, some of it will be new and of course never strung it all together. And without any comps from past results it’s hard to judge what an expected finish will be. From what I know of these mountains and past performances over 30ks I’m going to aim high and shoot for 3 hours give or take. That means I’m only going to carry one Beta Fuel in a zip lock for hour two and one SIS gel for the beginning of hour 3. At the beginning of that 3^rd hour I’ll fill up with Scratch Lab from an aid station along with a gel and hopefully that’ll take me to the finish.

 If I have an outstanding race I’ll at least be competitive in my age group and possibly even win and set a very high standard for years to come.

 Anxious to find out if I’ve put together the puzzle pieces to make a pretty picture out of next week’s challenge.

The Last Running of the Dog?

 Three deer tread lightly

Through the dry mountain grass

Weary and wary.

 Tuesday, October 5, 2021

 The spell may be broken.

 For over 8 years now I’ve been focused on holding both the age group records for the Bull Dog 25 and 50ks. I knew those records were out of touch in my 50s but I thought if I stayed in shape I could grab them in my 60s.

 Saturday, I obtained half of my goal by running a 2:12:45 25k. The irony of that was I had completely forgotten that three years ago I had already broken the age group record with a 2:14.

 So enough of the 25k. However, while I do believe the 4:54 mark of the 50k would be possible next year. However, I feel I’ve run enough Bulldogs and other events have more appeal to me.

 Lately though I’ve been toying with the idea of training with poles to prep for some long fastpacking trips and if poles are allowed at Bulldog next year, it might be interesting to use them on the second loop and see how much help they would be.

 But that’s a long way off. What lessons were learned from Saturday that I can move forward with for the near future?

 First off, from reading Jason Koop’s ultra-running book and numerous articles, I’ve focused on hill training and high intensity intervals. It’s paid off. Although three years older I ran two minutes faster. I’m going to continue in that vein. Though I’ll tinker a bit with the structure of my intervals just to prevent the workouts from becoming stale.

 To try to continue to improve I know I’ve got to focus on the other side of the ledger, weight. At 145 I’m svelte, but my next goal is to drop 5 lbs. of fat and retain my strength. Strength to weight. At my age I’m not going to squeeze a whole lot more from the strength side of the equation so dropping a few pounds is the more promising way forward until I just chuck all this craziness and end my days gorging on pizza and gelato.

 Secondly, I was sucked into believing that my Cinderella slippers had been tightly placed on my feet. That’s a firm – under the right circumstances. The Salomon Pulsars felt great except on the long steep downhill portion of the race. Typically, lightweight racers have caused me heel bruising on this section and the Pulsars were no different. On the plus side it wasn’t terrible and didn’t cause to chop my steps for long. But I’m not going to wear them in races I expect to last much over two hours or have long steep downhill sections.

 With a trail marathon coming up at the end of the month that means going with Salomon Ultraglides or hoping the new Asics Fuji Lites will do the trick.

 I had no problems with hydration or nutrition, but in a short race that’s not usually an issue. For the marathon I’ll just extend my use of Cranksport gels and powder, SIS super caffeinated gels and whatever the race provides.

 I’ve also now reached a point where I can usually keep my head in the game and focus on what pace I should be running at and not let the rabbits get me overly excited or getting passed throw me off.

 What’s been most surprising is how long it’s taken me to recover. It could be just that I haven’t raced in a multi-hour race and have forgotten, but it seems like I’ve been in a funk for a few days longer than I ever recall for such a short race. Could be age as well, as that seems to seep into all aspects of competition.

 But it’s time to get back out there again and enjoy.

Attack

Scrub jay balances

On the most fragile of twigs

Because it knows how.

 Friday, October 1, 2021

 Outside of rabbits, squirrels, and coyotes our dog Luna doesn’t attack. However, if provoked she will aggressively defend herself.

 That is a part of her nature I wish I had. But I’m not a half pit bull half lab mix. A mix yes, but from a more refined small European stew. And at a scrawny 145 lbs. my nature isn’t to bolt to attention and take a bold stance daring you to come at me; catch me if you can are where my genes direct me.

 And that’s probably allowed me to get to be 63 without any physical confrontations. But I am a competitor and to some extent that must mean there’s some small bit of fighting will rumbling somewhere down in my Id.

 Now whether that’s a good thing who knows. I know many whom believe peace, love and cooperation are the way to go. But I admit that I don’t feel hurt or sorrowful on the rare occasions when my dog has drawn blood in self-defense.

 Likewise I relish the idea of being a lone wolf on trail capable of taking a bold stance and charging into the wind when called upon hoping to draw blood; if only figuratively. 

Dirty Old Men

 Three deer crossed my path

As I jogged up the canyon.

This morning is blessed.

Thursday, September 16, 2021

 When I started running with the Santa Monica Trail Runners Club about twenty years ago or so, there were a few very energetic older men who very much enjoyed flirting with women of all ages. Many of us could see that this was off-putting to many of the women.

 That isn’t to say that it was always agreeable when younger dudes flirted. But let’s be honest about how humans work. This was a club that promoted people to come out and run and socialize together. There’s bound to be some flirting/dating among individuals voluntarily coming together to engage in likeminded physical activity.

 So where the line is drawn between flirting and creepy isn’t always so clear cut. Yet it was easy to see in some situations these old dudes were just sadly and strangely oblivious to the fact that the age difference between some of the women they chose to rub up against should’ve been easily recognized as inappropriate.

 And now the truly sad part; I may now be one of those older men. And from my vantage point I can now very much empathize with the older men I use to run with.

 I’m not running with the club anymore, but I do work for a wellness center and I’m near the point where I’m getting to be close to many of our guests’ father’s age.

 And the irony is that my scope for what women I find attractive has definitely widened from mid 50s to mid-20s.

 From my previous experiences watching older men, I’m doing my best to reign myself in and not be just another dirty old man. Yet I’m also tempted to believe that there must be an exception to the rule and with my fairly decent job of aging and demeanor surely I must still have broad appeal (bad
pun intended).

Hot Bench

The smile of a wolf

With a vicious temperament

When on the prowl.

Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021

Not only does it seem as if justice is neither swift nor fair in many cases, sometimes it seems downright bizarre.

 In my case, when a skateboarder lost control of his board that hit my bike causing me to fall and break my clavicle, I was just about ready to give up when possibly the entertainment Gods are going to step in to help out.

 The producer from a program called “Hot Bench” sent me a letter inquiring if I would be willing to have that show arbitrate my case. The catch is the defendant would also have to agree to appear. And why would he? The producer explained that the advantage for a defendant is that because it’s binding arbitration that’s not going through the courts, it doesn’t show on their records. I hope that’s enough bait. I also hope that the contact information the dude gave me was accurate. I tried calling once but never received a response.

 This is the e-mail I sent back to the producer.

 Thank you so much for considering my case. I was at the point where I felt receiving justice was hopeless.

 Outside of your sadly true statement regarding collecting damages through the small claims court system, the court made a clerical error listing two different case numbers and a different defendant (Bicycle World) on the mandatory mediation notice. In Los Angeles before proceeding to trial mandatory mediation is required. I sent a certified letter to the court stating this error on June 15 and have, as of yet, not received any update.

 And it doesn’t end there. Because I’m in my 60s health insurance is extremely expensive. To lower the cost over a year ago I joined a health share network; Trinity Health Share. They have since filed for bankruptcy protection. To this point I have paid out of pocket for a very expensive ambulance ride and a few x-ray bills. My clavicle surgery went very well and I am almost fully recovered my physical injuries but am in limbo as to whether or how much of that was paid for.

 However, it isn’t the expenses and mental and physical discomfort of the accident that caused me to seek renumeration through the court system, it was the lack of remorse or any attempt to make amends by Mr. Flores.

 Fortunately at the time of the accident there was a good Samaritan on hand, Matt, who rushed me to urgent care, had the sense to use my phone to get the I.D.s of Mr.Flores and his friend, and held on to my damaged bicycle until it was convenient for my wife to retrieve it.

 If there are any details of the case that you need, I’ll be happy to forward them to you. I’ll also call you tomorrow after work.

 Thank you again for your time and for reaching out.