More Pirates Cove

Sassy (20k), Jessica (30k) and Sammy(30k), huddling in the car for warmth prior to the start. PCTR events are great because non-ultra friends can still join in the fun. Offering trail runners several distance options in their races have made PCTR a popular choice and combined with the laid back atmosphere and the warm welcoming community of trail running has made them a favorite with more of their races selling out now.

Spamsiwan set for the 20k. Despite being a vegetarian, our first conversations as friends centered around "Spam" - thus the name I call her by. I also call her the Iron Knitter and the Iron Baker because she is as passionate about her knitting and baking as she is about her training. You can check her blog here.

Jessica, Helen and Noreen, excited and ready. The hills in the background is our first climb. A @#*&% uphill start. I hate uphill starts!

Proud of the ladies, the gang hanging out at the finish. Except for Noreen and Jess (training for her first Ironman), all these guys have completed the Ironman triathlon distance. This year Spamsiwan is headed to Ironman Brazil at the end of April and Jess is planning on Ironman Coeur d'Alene in Idaho in June. Photo courtesy of Sammy.

Alright who's the short dude?! Finally me and the boys. Jon K (10th), Will Gotthardt (6th) and myself (11th) at the finish line. Jon and I were still catching our breath, Will on the other hand was relaxed and cool having finished 20+ minutes before us. Regulars at the PCTR scene especially Will who volunteers for the events when he's not racing - great runner, valuable community member. Photo courtesy of Sammy.

My camera was acting up so I had to ditch it at the start, thus the start and finish photos only. It turned out for the best anyway, I doubt I would have gotten under 5 hours had I been taking pictures. Except for my friend John B. (not pictured anywhere) It was me and the ladies again, the men of our gang were busy doing I don't know what. Hanging with the sistas yet again and I don't mind.

I am off to Florida today to visit the family. If I don't visit them now I won't be able to see them until the fall because of the race schedule. Might as well be now but not looking forward to hot, humid and FLAT Orlando, Florida. I can get used to the heat and the humidity but I'll never enjoy the flatness.

Before I go, the race report I promised on my last post:


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Race day found me feeling great and confident. I knew the course well, these are my training grounds after all. I've raced many times here, from the 50k to the 100-miler. I knew where I could push and where I could pull back to recover. I knew the terrain, from single track to fireroad. I was also in a great mood, came with a bunch of friends and giddy about the first race of the season.

The first 30k went like a blur, I was surprised to be back at the start line already and about to embark for the remaining 20k. The first hour I held back, slowly increased intensity in the second hour and went all out after that - as fast as I could muster. The last 20k was definitely harder but no less enjoyable. I ran the end of the 30k a bit too hard and was feeling it but I knew the rest of the field was feeling it too. I started catching up to some of the fast, hard looking guys and it was a psychological boost - I knew I was moving up the field. The last 10k I was chasing after Jon K. A healthy Jon would have already finished the race but he had just come back from illness and was not 100%. Chasing after him kept me firing on all cylinders and he's partially responsible for my sub-5 hour finish, him and the guy who was chasing me.

Nutrition, hydration all went like clockwork. I was quick at the aid stations, choked down my gels prior to arriving and only stopping long enough to get my H2O bottles topped off - something I picked up from Olga. Chatted with other runners but kept the conversations brief unless they were moving at my pace. All in all a well managed run on my part. I couldn't have asked for more.

Next up Mt. Diablo 50-miler. This one promises to be the exact opposite. Long, slow and arduous with 13,300 ft. of total elevation gain, same for the elevation loss. The uphills will be tough, the down hills will tenderize the quads. A good training race for the 100-mile runners.
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Pirates Cove Results

Results here. The 40-49 age group ruled the day with 1st, 3rd, 4th, 6th and 8th places in the top 10. Shout out to Will G. for his top 10 finish.

...about 20k into the run...
Vladimir: Hey, how you doin? Good to see you out here, you started late or something? What were you doing back there?
Me: Oh hey, didn't know you were going to be here. Ah you know, my usual slow starts. You should know this already:)
Vladimir: Right, right.

Short and Sweet

Okay so that race went really fast. I mean the whole experience felt like it happened in the blink of an eye. I started and then I was done. I think my training weekends has smacked me around so much this year that the 50k race felt like an absolute pleasure.

Pirates Cove 50k = Unofficial time of 4:55+
Total Elevation Gain 5640, same for loss
Perfect sunny but not hot weather

I pushed hard out there and it was uncomfortable at times but I was exceeding my own expectations and was totally psyched. I'm a praying man and I kept sending prayers of thanks - for the weather, the course, my friends, my health, the resources that made it happen, everything. It was an amazing time.

I pushed to test my fitness and I'm glad to say that it's where I expected it to be, well actually to be totally honest, I didn't expect a sub-5 finish. This is my first time running this race but my experience in these trails had me predicting a 5:30ish run time. I'm pretty pleased and besides a sore left abductor muscle (inner thigh) I'm good. I already hit the ice bath andeverything is fine and dandy.

Another fantastic PCTR event. A bunch of my friends came and did the shorter distances the 20k and 30k. They made me feel like quite the rockstar when they cheered for me when I came in to the finish for the first time after completing the 30k and again at the finish, this time for good, after finishing the 20k loop to make it 50. Met some really nice runners and got re-connected with old friends. I wasn't hungry afterwards but sat on the grass with the gang and chatted with the other runners in our vicinity.

Quick report and pics to follow. My camera was acting up at the start so I'm waiting for pics from friends Samantha and Jessica. Much thanks to Spamsi for picking me up and dropping me off after the race. With a lot of daylight left I think I'm going to go and do something normal relaxing like walking down to Yerba Buena gardens and reading a book. I got back my book,Lore of Running by Tim Noakes, MD from another runner today. Too bad the museums are already closed. I might even pick up that part I need to fix the cranky toilet. I tell ya that race was like a splash of cold water on my face, invigorating. Must take advantage before I crash.

P.S. To the non-runners and non-ultra types, I wasn't being facetious about calling a 50k short, it's all relative. Based on my experience in the US ultra scene, a 50k is a short race.

Running for Your Upper Body

Local speedster, Chikara Omine, fast in many distances. He ran the mornings Emerald 12k which finished at our swimming venue. I took in a quick Bay swim before a run. Some of the gang after the swim.

Speaking of swimming. I got back into it in a big way last week, hit the pool 3 times and got in my first Bay swim of the year...brrrr..... Anticipating a cutback/backdown week in my running I just swam and biked more. So in the end I was still draggin around all of Monday but at least my legs were not so beat up. After three weeks of building up my strength, endurance and speed, I backed down this weekend with a simple 2 hour run. It was worth at least 2.5 since I had to run with my pack filled with my wet swim gear; wetsuit, towel, clothes, googles and 3 x 25 ounce bottles of Carbo Pro. Sunday morning was definitely one of those times that I wished I owned a car so I would have a place to store things. Good workout though.

This week I am also doing a mini little taper heading into my first race of the season - Pirate's Cove 50k. Not much of a taper really but I'd like to do that race with a little more zing in my steps than I usually do in my training runs.

So yeah I've been hitting the pool. I'm the slowest swimmer I know but there is no "tri" without the "swim" and I wouldn't have it any other way. My good friend Jessica gave me some pool workouts to follow, she used to coach a high school team. Check this picture of her, this is another way to do an ice bath. Personally I prefer the tub and silent screaming in the privacy of my own bathroom but to each his own.

Getting excited about the race this coming weekend. I'm eager to pin a number in the old shorts and get one in the books for 08. It's exactly where I do most of my training so no surprises there but many friends are coming and I'm eager to catch up with Will G. and talk to him about his race at Cool Canyon 50k - he ran a quick 4:26. Tough competition though, real tough with Oregon sweeping the first three places. Those Pacific Northwest kids, so fast.