A Case of the Runs

EVENT : Big Sur International Marathon (21-Miler) DATE : Sunday, April 27, 2014 LOCATION : Big Sur to Carmel, CA RACE BEGAN : 6:30 am FINISH TIME : 05:34:56 As I am scrambling to catch up with life after taking a three-day weekend to do this race and feeling under the weather now, I decided to throw something up here as soon as I could. (Extra delay due to me dumbly upgrading the software on my iPhone, which has pretty much kind of broken it.) We made our way to Monterey, CA the day before the race.  We woke up at 4 AM and started our trek, stopping around the Buellton area at Ellen's Danish Pancake House .  I had never had Danish pancakes, which were pretty much very thin regular pancakes.  Although I didn't want to get anything else, "The Ukrainian" demanded that I at least get an egg, so I decided to raise him a cinnamon bun. We got the expo around noon and were kind of disappointed about a couple of things.  First, parking -- there wasn't much of...

After what has seemed like an eternity, I will be in Monterey in about 10 days for the Big Sur Marathon! Except, not quite. Registration for the Big Sur races opened on July 15th, a Monday morning, at 7 AM.  "The Ukrainian" was at work and registered at that time, while I was at the gym before work.  I got to my desk around 8 AM and immediately went on to register. The "Marathon" button was greyed out .  Surely, this must be a mistake?   Some seconds later, I realized that it had sold out.  Argh! Prior to that day, I had been having some reservations about registering for the full marathon.  I was perfectly content rounding out at 15 and backing off since I was having trouble sticking to a regular training schedule.  I guess the quick sell-out (59 minutes!) made the decision for me.  (I guess had I been prudent, I would have asked my love to register for me, but obviously I did not anticipate this issue occurring -- I read that next year...

It has almost been a year since the Boston Marathon bombings , and as I'm sure everyone else is saying, I can't believe it has been a year.  Since that time, marathon finish lines always make me think of that day. I don't often read books that recap tragedies, but I made an exception for Hal Higdon.  Higdon 's training programs were a staple for me in my earlier running days, and I will always view him as one of the most prominent members of the running community.  He is likely, in fact, the leader of the pack. Hal Higdon was not present at the Boston Marathon in 2013, but due to his status in the running world, he received many accounts of that day.  In 4:09:43 (the time on the clock when the first bomb went off), Higdon recounts the collective experiences of approximately 75 people, who were mostly runners and also some volunteers and spectators. Kathrine Switzer, a prominent runner/media person, writes the foreward.  The stories that followed covere...

Being the DVD workout junkie that I am, I was excited to try out a new Tracie Long workout video, which comes out next week. Staying Power is one of a series of new workouts by Tracie.  I have seen her DVDs on Amazon many times but have not had a chance to try one. The series consists of: Tracie Long Longevity Series: Defining Shape Designed to increase lean muscle mass, this all-weights workout focuses on the lower body and shoulders.   Tracie Long Longevity Series: Staying Power An interval style that delivers a balanced total body challenge, this workout is designed to improve overall cardiovascular performance.     Tracie Long Longevity Series: Step Forward This step cardio workout targets the legs with a varying range of motion and tempos that will get you closer to your best legs ever.    The run-time for each video is about 50 minutes long, which is perfect for those mornings when I wake up just a bit earlier to fit in...

Wow, I have been MIA for a bit.  I think the overarching reason is due to my lack of running.  Folks, it has been pretty bad.  I've maybe run 3.5 (yes, that .5 matters!) miles in the past month. I could make a ton of excuses, but besides working overtime and such, the fact that I haven't been sleeping well has made weekend running pretty much the lowest of my priorities.  The funny thing is, I had a similar slump this time last year , so I hope things will be on the uptick again soon. The other day, I received the Final Instructions for the Big Sur race later this month, and I'm excited to see it!  Knowing that my "training" has been the way that it has, this is going to be ugly, yet pretty at the same time! =P Dear Julie, The Big Sur International Marathon and related events are less than four weeks away.  Race Weekend Instructions are now available HERE .  They contain event-specific instructions as well as general information about rac...