I've been a slob, a loafer of the first rank in ignoring this blog. And here I stand, on the brink of 20 years of continuous posts to a select audience. Nevertheless, I present a sampling of past July 4s (and a 5).
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The Onion |
I've been a slob, a loafer of the first rank in ignoring this blog. And here I stand, on the brink of 20 years of continuous posts to a select audience. Nevertheless, I present a sampling of past July 4s (and a 5).
![]() |
The Onion |
Illness, depression, and various other distractions have served to diminish running. I have a 5k approaching in January and a half-marathon in February and aren't prepared for either. I will have to do what I can in the remaining time. This year has been rocky on the health front and it would be nice to start off '25 strong.
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Surfers Point 10K |
A few more weeks before I'm off to Ventura for a fine 6.2 miles. It'll be a nice weekend away for my wife and I and a cool run along the coast. Am I in shape? Not really. I'll finish toward the back of the pack, but we enjoy the town of Ventura and are keen for a little holiday away from life's little stresses.
Forgot about this one. Originally slated for late January, the race was cancelled when the state decided to cease all events at the original campground/start line. Naturally, they gave the race organizers little notice.
Now shoved along the Ventura coast a mile or so, this 6.2 mile beach run will be a nice fun event for my wife Joy and I. I've been busy as of late with health issues—like high blood pressure—and have fallen out of shape.
Seven weeks to snap out of my lethargy and prepare.
More soon.
Stopped by the pharmacy last Thursday, received my injection and a warning about possible side effects. My arm ached pretty bad, but nothing life-hampering. But Friday I was tagged with a sharp headache, flu-like symptoms and fatigue. Most of the day was spent rising to go pee, then returning to bed for more restless sleep. Saturday, though better, still found me a bit down.
Today, I'm just fine. But losing another two running days pushed me over a ledge. Despite my glittering optimism from a week ago, I'm passing on the LA Marathon.
The "quitting stench" is absent this time. Too little distance running the last five weeks left me feeling that I'd be trashing my bodyfor another medal. I 'm fat with running medals, but not years left in which to run.
A load was lifted when I withdrew. I've been training since September for the Pasadena Half, then jumped into training for the full. I over-trained for the half and under-trained for the full. Now I've got a little time to rest and plan my new marathon move. (Sub-five, is what I'm thinking.)
So that's that. I learned a lot this go around and I'm looking forward to easing back into running once again, grateful I still can
Last week, I bemoaned the obstacles placed between myself and marathon training. Well, the most difficult is past. Now all that remains to be seen is whether I waited too long, ran too far, in too long a time and tired out my legs.
Friday, I completed 17.5 miles. That is the farthest I'll venture in training. With the race less than two weeks off, I'm now in my taper phase, lowering long run and weekly mileage and preparing mentally for 26.2. The temperature was cool and windy, perfect for a 10k. Unfortunately, I ran several hours and was chilled to the bone. Possibly, I'll face these conditions again on race day.
And while my finishing time may not glitter, I overcame one of the worst cases of the quits in 46 years. That's when I under-trained for the Chicago Marathon, then blew it off. And while I eventually ran Chicago, the stench of quitting lingered long after the event.
So I made myself run on Friday. Having done so, there's no reason not to complete the LA Marathon. Damn the street sweepters!
More soon. 👈
Yesterday, Olympic hopefuls crowded the start line in Orlando, Fla. for a shot at being one of six American runners representing the nation at this summer's games in Paris. And the winners are:
Imagine you apply for a job, go through a tough selection process, then get told: "You're hired. Welcome aboard, unless we find someone better."
Such is the case with Leonard Korir. Mantz and Young already ran automatic qualifying times under the magic number 2:08:10, begging the question of why bother with marathon trials if somebody somewhere else who didn't compete against the same field can just wander in with the correct time and snap up your spot. (Granted, you won't find many 2:08 marathoners wandering around the 50 states, but it's the principle of the thing.)
Leonard Korir hoping no 2:08's show up.
In the corny simplistic women's race where the first three finishers go to Paris, O'Keeffe rocked the house in her marathon debut. A debut, an Olympic qualifying record, and summer in Paris.
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My Circle Story |
In past Rose Bowl races, I've been caught in traffic jams, sometimes spending 40 minutes inching toward parking, then scrambling to the start line. Today, I left home at 4:30 AM and was parked by 4:56. Then I napped for an hour and twenty minutes. Around 6:15, I ambled over to gear check, figuring I had plenty of time to hit the bathroom then warm-up. But gear check took longer than expected, and the usually long Port-a-Potty lines seemed even longer. I emerged with enough time to loosen up my joints, but not enough to squeeze a few surges.
Enough complaining about my sad preparation. The race is upon me. On Sunday I will run my first half-marathon since, oh, 2007? I reject all my negative thoughts and embrace the challenge. The Rose Bowl has been my training ground for over 20 years. I'll be on home turf.
My goal: break 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Make that 2 hours and 45 minutes. I double-checked my times. There's no way I could hold the above pace for 13.1. That's a half-marathon fever error
My last long run before the half-marathon. A slight breeze with temperatures in the 60s eased the burden of yesterday's slog up into the Angeles foothills. A hard work-out the day before meant tired legs and a slow pace. Overall, my training has been erratic. Very little speed work, lackluster tempo runs, and hardly any cross-training. I'll be fortunate to complete the half under 3 hours.
I'm prepared to skip the L.A. Marathon in March. My focus will be to regroup, pick a marathon for late spring, early summer, and apply all the same training lessons used in ramping up for the 2022 California International Marathon.
Enough whining. Time to cross-train.
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The Bald Brothers |
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From l. to r.: Me, Joy & Chevy Chase |
Having not run a race since last year's marathon, I only had a few 2023 weeks remaining to notch one. So I joined my wife Joy for a 5k out in Pomona. Chilly in the early morning hours. Neither of us wished to leave bed. But off we went on Saturday morning. As noted in the 5k link, I finished second in my age group out of six participants. That was enough to earn an age group medal, which is basically awarded for outliving faster runners. The course was flat asphalt, used in the warmer months for auto racing. I was stiff as a plank having not warmed up properly.
This particular 5k had a number of drawbacks including people violating course rules and running with their dogs—there are parks for that—strollers, and loose children who tend to run as fast as they can, stop, then bolt off again. I was passed a half-dozen times by the same kids.
That aside, it was a good time, with decorative Christmas cheer all about. We enjoyed ourselves, then departed for a well-earned heavy breakfast.
I'll report in soon on my upcoming half-marathon in January. All in all, I was glad I got out of bed.
Note: Here's a post from 18 years ago. This is before all my operations and various disorders when I enjoyed the fine health of early middle-age. No complaints. Glad to be around.
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clipartpanda.com |
So back in the day, I wrote . . .
This morning I met some chums from Team in Training. We ran a 5K (3.1 mile) race in La Cañada, a northern LA suburb. I'd driven through there several times. The little hills sloped gradually, so it appeared. I predicted EZ running.
Oh, they were sly, unpleasant hills. Steeper than they looked. Finish-time eaters. If it were possible, I'd cuff them sharply.
This was very much a neighborhood race: families, parents with strollers, teenage girls running five across, and people running with leashed dogs — which I don't get. Walk the dog or run the race.
Later, Ronald MacDonald — clown, spokesman, bon vivant — led youngsters in a warm up prior to a children's race. After that, a child warmed up Ronald MacDonald prior to a fast food spokesman's race.
In any event, Happy Thanksgiving!
Yesterday I ran 5 miles for the first time in a few months. Since I was at the historic Rose Bowl, I decided on a little video at the end detailing my run. Nothing so chipper happened. The day was a bit hotter than I'd planned and by mile three, my mind was glutted with thoughts of walking, or better yet, quitting entirely. Left to its own devices on a run, that's where my brain defaults.
I ran it in, but was overheated and uninterested in anything other than basking in my car's air conditioning. Clearly, I'd been neglecting my mental training. The mind can only hold one thought at a time. Why not an upbeat, positive thought? That—and water—are what I require most on hot day running a course with very little shade.
As a general note, I am considerably slower than last year. If that's the way it rolls, so be it, but I'd hoped to ace January's Rose Bowl Half Marathon in under 2.5 hours and LA Maraton in March in under 5 hours. But time and serious training will tell.
And a little focus on the metal effort.
Not lately, however. Between illness and vacation, I've fallen out of my exercise routine. But nothing fires up the running engines than a goal. And so I signed up for the Rose Bowl Half-Marathon in January and am considering the LA Marathon in March.
But first, I need to blow off the dust and cover a few miles.
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RunningGearLab |
Hard to believe. This YouTube business, plus my latest book, are chewing up all my time. I'm attempting to branch out into different markets for my books as well as crank out audiobooks.
Meanwhile I'm still running. Not much, usually three days a week. I fell on a run back in April and broke my left hand. (My first broken bone since 2017.) It's healing slowly. We have a big vacation planned for this summer. Afterwards, I should have just enough time to train for a late-November, early December marathon. I'm thinking something local, perhaps the Santa Clarita race. I won't be setting any new prs, but I'll be content with another medal.
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Tara Winstead |
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