Tuesday, May 30, 2006

What a Memorial Day!


QuadDipsea w:Team
The gang after a good run on the Dipsea Trail. Click here for more photos.


Everyone should have a Memorial day like I experienced it. I won't give any details out though, it'll just make some of you jealous. Let's just say I had all the time to do what I wanted...ya'll understand time right. Exactly what I needed.

Anyway as promised, a short run report from Sunday. Whew that day started early, I woke up at 5:30 and out the door a quarter to 7AM. I'm a night owl and I won't sleep early just because I have to get up early the next day - it's a weakness I know. So I not only do I have the fatigue from a workout to deal with but also the exhaustion from the lack of sleep. Maybe one day I'll be smarter about this...someday. Anyway I was all psyched up because some folks from my Tri-club were meeting at Mill Valley for a trail run at 11AM. I thought it would be a great idea to finish up my long run with their workout, 11AM is more than reasonable. Company on the trail! I was all over it. Also the day before I invited Garett Graubins and his wife Holly to join us. They had just recently moved here from Colorado and were looking for folks to run with. Never met them in person but Garett has been a frequent poster to the ultra list, an email list for ultra-marathoners that I subscribe to.

Everything was working properly on Sunday, muscles were tired but not exhausted from the hill repeats the day before. Overall feeling was amazingly great, which only fired me up even more. It made me laugh but psyched me up at the same time. I was in a spectacular mood. The weather was perfect again which only elevated my mood even more if that was even possible. What an amazing morning. I left late so I had to hustle, got lost a couple of times utilizing trails I never used before so I had to hurry even more, this included running on very narrow and twisty highway 1 onto uncoming traffic - I don't want to ever do that again. Sa'll good though. Nevertheless I still managed to get there in time...well sorta...I rolled in at 11:02. It was a small group, what with it being Memorial day and the majority of our triathletes tapering for "Escape from Alcatraz" which was taking place this coming weekend. But our group was an excited eager group, a good group of good people - what more could you ask.

More running ensued naturally. The skies were absolutely clear, no haze. We could see all the way to San Francisco and Oakland from the top of the ridges. Garett and Holly were absolutely loving the trail and I stayed with them to play guide, which was absolutely cool because I was tiring out at this point. I think Garett and Holly were still feeling their move, that and they kept admiring the views. I was very pleased that they enjoyed themselver, it's always great when people appreciate what you love. We didn't go all the way to Stinson Beach. The goal was to keep the run at about two hours. I don't know why, I found this out that morning, nevertheless it was fine with me.

Definitely tired when we got done, I could have taken a nap then but it was on to a late lunch. If I was tired then I was really exhausted by the time I got back to my apartment just before 4PM. No rest though since church was at 4PM! Rolling in late as usual it was a small miracle I didn't fall asleep during the sermon. Then it was dinner with the usual gang after the service. I've been neglecting my church friends because of all my training. I needed to go - no excuses. However after dinner I got talked into a movie at someone's home, an old John Wayne classic. Thankfully my ride tired out before me and I was home before midnight:) Now I have to rent the flick at Netflix. Whew it was a full day.

I hope everyone had a great Holiday Weekend.

3 comments:

  1. Hi Rick,

    I found your site through a link on Kim's site (ultranewby.blogspot.com). I enjoy your descriptions of running up in the bay area.

    I wanted to ask you if you have run the Dick Collins Firetails 50 before or have you run portions of the course? I am going to be running it in October as my first 50 miler and wanted to get some first-hand descriptions of the course from experienced ultrarunners in the area.

    thank you very much for your time.

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  2. Hey, nice time, glad you met Garett (I've read he moved there). So, have you run Dick fire 50?

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  3. I have. It was my first 50-miler. I replied off-list to Matt. The best of luck to you man, for your first 50-miler.

    Yeah Garett seems like a great guy. Wants to run the East Bay this weekend but I'll probably join him on the next one. I'd like to get a nice hot run before WS, maybe Mt. Diablo area.

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