Character Building

I remember reading old Calvin and Hobbes comics. Every time Calvin was sent outside to shovel snow or wait in the rain for the school bus, his father referred to it as an opportunity for 'building character'.  This is the kind of stuff that comes to mind when I arrive at Wednesday night track practice to see this:

We're pretty spoiled in California when it comes to weather. We're also in a four-year drought, so it's hard to complain about any amount of rain we get. At the end of training, the crosswind drove the rain horizontal. We only had four participants get to Woodside this week to do a modified circuit training workout, doing strength exercises under a small overhang near the restrooms. Each of them got some Rock n Roll Marathon swag for being brave enough to show up. That's a building block for a strong season. They also will be prepared if it rains on race day.

Yesterday before our 4 - 6 mile training, Patty Rodriguez spoke for our Mission Moment. She's a two time cancer survivor. I met Patty in the first few miles of the Hot Chocolate 15K in January. She's got an amazing outlook on life. It inspires me to think about all the things that other people overcome just to wake up, get to training to run, walk or cheer.

Three weeks of coached training and so far so good. This weekend, the participants are on their own for 4 - 6 miles or 1 - 2 hours depending on their event.

On the Roads:

Character can be displayed by determination, like the teammates that showed up last week. It can manifest itself in determination like Shalane Flanagan at last week's marathon Olympic Trials. Shalane paced training partner Amy Cragg for 24 miles before dehydration slowed her enough for Desiree Linden to pass her with less than a mile left. Shalane was able to hold off Kara Goucher for the final spot on the 2016 Rio Olympic team. On the men's side, 10K specialist Galen Rupp, won in impressive fashion, joining Meb Keflezighi and Jared Ward to represent the USA. This was the first time we watched the trials, having had the privilege to meet many of the Olympic hopefuls over the last few years. Being able to have this kind of connection is one of the things that makes the sport great.

The day after trials, our friend Jessica V. ran the Skechers LA Marathon in just under 4.5 hours. The story here was that she was running on serious expo legs as the week before the LA Marathon, she was one of the organizers of the event. She ran her first half marathon less than five years ago and now was responsible for one of the best organized race events of the year by all reports. Her boss told her she was nuts running the marathon on Sunday. For Jessica, "Nuts" is just another day at the office.

This weekend were the Olympic race walk trials. In 2013, at the Moscow World Championship, John Nunn finished dead last, in pain with every step, but didn't quit. Something about representing his country pushed him to finish, regardless of the time. The tight-knit race walk community watched and agonized with him for every step.  This weekend, Nunn fought off a flu bug to win the men's 50K in a personal best 4:03:21, qualifying for his third games. Heart and dedication pays off.

Also finishing up this weekend was the three-day Florida Ultraman - 6.2 mile swim, 261.4 mile bike, 52.4 mile run. Jessica D. won the women's division, finishing 10th overall, setting a few course records along the way. We've watched one IRONMAN event. I can't imagine the amount of extra preparation the Ultraman would take.

Character. It's all around us. You recognize it when you see it. People show it through their words or actions and for the most part, they don't do it for recognition, they do it because that's who they are.

Now if you'll excuse me, I have some knots that need some foam rolling. I need to be ready for our next character building event.

What Goes Through Your Mind During a 50K. Looking Back. Letting Go. Forging Ahead.

I walked 50K last Saturday.

Most of the people who read that unconsciously read it as "I walked a 50K". That would imply there was an event, a medal, a course and pictures. There was none of that, except for a couple pictures. The rest? I did it on my own.

Why?  Good question. I was asking myself that several times during the day.

I turned 49 this December. Like several times before I blurted out a goal based on that milestone. I finished my first marathon at age 38 and decided I wanted to finish 50 races by age 50 (we passed that three years ago) and then 100 races by 50 (we did that mid 2015). Some time last year I decided to do a 50K before I turned 50. That's what led to Saturday. 

Let's ignore the fact that I hadn't put in any mileage in three weeks and hadn't done long distance since our double half in mid-November. Add that the day before was Christmas. I had a decent breakfast but then loaded up on cookies, fudge and junk food - not an ideal fueling routine. But this was the first weekend day after my birthday that wasn't pouring rain. I figure if I'm going to be out there for 7 hours depending on speed, I'd rather do it when it's nice. We learned to race with Team in Training, meaning we don't wear headphones. That's a really long time to be alone with your thoughts and the scenery, but it was a great time to reflect on 2015.

I started at 8:15 AM when the outside temps read 29 degrees and a forecast for light winds. Say what you will about wimpy Californians, but it was reportedly warmer in DC, Connecticut and Vancouver that morning.    

The first leg went west on the Alameda Creek trail toward the Bay. The trail is paved and with a few exceptions in Coyote Hills, pretty flat and very exposed to winds. I packed a few Bonk Breakers, a tube of Gu Brew and my RNR Raleigh rain jacket to keep the wind off. 10.4K (6.5 miles) later, I was at the furthest point west on the trail looking out at a beautiful sunrise over the bay.

No one else out here except for bikers and a few vultures. I should have taken that as a hint.

It was a little over 20% of the way through and I was thinking about the first few months of the race year. We skipped RNR Arizona for the inaugural runDisney Star Wars half, finally getting the Darth Vader pictures I missed at Dumbo. We went back to RNR New Orleans for the first time since 2010 and I added a Brazen race on Valentine's Day to pull even with Susan on half marathons so we could finish the year at 100 apiece.

I was keeping a comfortable pace as I turned into Coyote Hills to refill my water bottle before 17K (10.5 miles). A third of the way through the year would be the end of April and by then we had seen Joe become the first to reach 100 Rock n Roll races in DC. Our thoughts turned to Beth after we raced at RNR Dallas, her last race before undergoing abdominal surgery. After hearing a positive report during RNR San Francisco, we wore bibs in her honor at RNR Raleigh.

What mile 13 looks like after getting a decent amount of rain.

Between the 17K and 27K (Miles 10.5 to 17.2) it was rough going. I hit gusting headwinds of 15-20 mph and it wasn't getting much warmer. It took a lot to stay focused. I thought about the stretch between late April and mid July when I was working on Al's speed program. I had good races at RNR Nashville, TBL Crown Point and RNR Portland before setting a 5K and Half PR at RNR San Diego. I felt pretty good about my race walk form at Tim Seaman's clinic in Chicago and we cheered Beth finishing her first full marathon after surgery at RNR Seattle. We celebrated our 20th anniversary by going back to the site of our first race in Alaska and raced a toasty remix at RNR Chicago. We finished July at the San Francisco 1st half.

I broke off the trail to head back to the house at 27K (17.2 mi) to get more food. Honestly, I was hurting from lack of fuel and was seriously considering stopping. Susan came home as I was heating up leftover eggs and pretzel bread and reminded me that I knew the trail like the back of my hand. And she reminded me that 14 more miles "is just a half."

Sorry guys. I know I'm not supposed to make light of the distance, but for us, that's motivation.  

I spent 20 minutes refueling, unfueling, packing extra Bonk Breakers and refocusing. 60% through the year is about where we usually a long break between RNR Chicago and our next race in early September and I spent that break working harder to get faster before RNR San Jose.  I got back to the creek trail for the second leg. Getting started after the break was a big deal, physically and mentally.

Our first race back after the break was the Run for CHUM, checking off a half in Michigan. Next was TBL Las Vegas in 80 degree heat where I walked a solid sub-2:25 on a shortened course. RNR San Jose was supposed to be the PR race, but the wheels came off at mile 9. The next week at RNR Brooklyn, I came within 30 seconds of the San Diego PR on a more challenging course. Two weeks later were were back at RNR St. Louis to meet Hyalker's honoree, Katy and Amy's family who were running for her uncle Bill.  Back on the trail, I made the turn at Niles at the 32K mark. It's starting to look like I'll make the full distance if I just stay focused. It's time to go into the fun cool down for the rest of the year.

It's hard to complain when you can train pretty much all year round in good conditions.

The end of October was the group Pac Man costume race at RNR Los Angeles. Three weeks later we had a beautiful morning race at the runDisney Avengers half and a cold, windy night race at RNR Las Vegas. Susan and I and Beth and Jim renewed our vows on the flight between Anaheim and Vegas. On the trail, I'm passing the 42K (26.1 mile) mark. Just 8K (5.1 miles) more. Less than a 10K. I did some mental calculations and concluded I need to pass my start point by 3K to get the distance right. I'm surprised my brain is still able to process that.

Our last race of the year was RNR San Antonio. I set a PR at on the 10K by 3 minutes and raced with Susan step for step the next day in the half. It was our 100th. It seemed right. At the finish line, I drop to one knee and ask her if she'd spend the next 100 half marathons with me. For some reason, she agrees.

I'm less than 2K from the 50K mark. I text Susan to let her know I'm nearly done. She offers to meet me at the end and drive me to In n Out for a burger and fries. Clearly she was serious about spending the next 100 halfs with me. I came down the short hill from the creek trail to find her waiting for me, with the dogs in the back seat. My total time was about 7.5 hours including 40 minutes of stop time to refuel and stretch. Fifteen minutes later I had a double double and extra crispy fries. The food didn't survive the drive home.

It's four days later as I write this. The knots in my quads and hamstrings are close to normal, I still have a tightness in my right arch that needs attention and I have a pair of matching blood blisters on my heels that show up when I'm using good race walk form. Garmin Connect tells me that the blue Brooks Pure Cadence shoes are officially past their mileage limit so it's time to retire them. I used those shoes for PR's at the 5K, 10K, half marathon and now 50K distance, but it feels good to let things go when they've outlived their usefulness. I have better pairs on the shelf.

Looking ahead to 2016, we're gearing up to check of our 6th continent at the Victoria Falls marathon in Zimbabwe in July. We're signed up for 14 Rock n Roll races and have to add a couple more to get to Hall of Fame for a third straight year. If the schedule works out, we want to get back to American River Parkway and see if our race walk form is any closer to legal.

It doesn't feel like I'm turning 50 next year. It feels like I'm just starting and the road ahead is open to all kinds of possibilities.

Postscript: Although I planned to do this 50K just to say I did it, two days later, I got an email from Rock n Roll for the Bonus Track Medal. This is a virtual race with no set distance, so I guess I get a medal for it after all!

~//~

All told we finished 24 half marathons, two 10Ks and three 5Ks for 338.5 race miles. We crossed off 4 new states for half marathons bringing our total to 25, won two age grade awards each, had two overall first place finishes a 2nd and 3rd place and got the highest medal awarded at Rock n Roll for the fifth year in a row. We got closer with a lot of our gypsy friends and I think we have found a group of friends that we'll want to race with for years to come.

If you're looking for a way to start off an active New Year tomorrow, a few of my friends run social media supported programs that I'd love to plug.

John Bingham kicks off his 100 Days Challenge tomorrow. Be intentionally active for a total of 30 minutes a day and check off your progress. He says this is not a Training program, but more a Lifestyle program. It's a great way to come off the couch.

David DeNeire has transformed the FREE! 365 days of Cardio Challenge to pair up buddies and hold each other accountable for 25 minutes of cardio every day. No cost to join. The group posts some pretty diverse pictures, so it's like doing your workouts all over the world. You can sign up on a monthly basis and keep going for all of 2016 and beyond.

Jenny Hadfield kicks of Challenge 2016. Each month there's a different focus on different aspects of running/walking (strength, speed, endurance) and also tips on creating healthy habits. Coming with the $45 membership is private sessions with Coach Jenny. For $55, you can also get the Challenge 2016 medal!

If you know that you're going to race a lot anyway, don't forget to pick up the Rock n Roll TourPass that allows you to race in 3 events for $219 or an unlimited number for $479. It pays for itself pretty fast. Also remember to enroll as a Heavy Medalist so you get the enormous bonus medals for completing multiple races.

Serial racers can also find some great discounts and race tips at The 100 Half Marathons Club. Today is the LAST day for $25 lifetime membership ($75 after the deadline). You need at least 10 lifetime half marathons to join.

A Long Road Behind. An Open Road Ahead.

Deal with the past. Practice forgiveness and gratitude.

Be optimistic about the future. Let go of worry and fear.

When you can do that, you can truly celebrate the present. 

I'm a bit of a statistics geek. When I get a bucket of numbers or lists and I have free time (like I do during a slow Thanksgiving week), I like to look at the past to see what I can learn.  With our 100th half marathon coming up next week in San Antonio, it was nice to take a trip through the first 99.

We started in 2005. When we were racing with Team in Training, the idea of doing more than a half marathon every 12 weeks or a full more than twice a year was not within the realm of possibility. We didn't even speak about it. I think the idea was that our participants, many first time marathoners, should concentrate on their event so it's the highlight of the season. Pre-event tune up races detracted from the big one. I get that. And that's how we trained for the first four years. Most of the races we did for the first 5 years were with TNT.

That changed in 2009. Our tenure as TNT mentors and coaches went to an every other year basis and the teams in the Bay Area got smaller, probably due to competition from other training organizations. We added a few of the short hop destination races like Rock n Roll Vegas (with a day-time Run Through Wedding) and a local race featuring a Walk Division (Eye-Q Twin Cities Fresno).

Rock n Roll Las Vegas 2009. Our first vow renewal, photobombed by Elvis.

In 2010, we also found out about the bonus Heavy Medals offered by Rock n Roll. That year, we had 3 halfs and a full to get the Grand Slam. We also met a Marathon Maniac, Kamika Smith. That meeting on the Seattle causeway led us to join the Half Fanatics and eventually the Marathon Maniacs.

This was one instance where Susan and I did different races. Susan did the full in Seattle because I had done one extra full in Anchorage. I did the half 5 months after reconstructive knee surgery (and PRed).
Kamika finished his 100th full on the day we met. I never thought we'd come anywhere close to that total for races.

2011 was a step change. We were on a Southwest flight for RNR Arizona and somehow we had an unscheduled layover in San Diego. We were sitting in the aisle/window in row 2 when a perky blonde lady from the C group asked if she could sit with us. She ended up chatting with Susan for the hour long flight to Phoenix and it turns out she knew all about Rock n Roll. She even mentioned that they were adding a few inaugural races in Providence, Rhode Island; Savannah, Georgia and Miami Beach. By the time we got off the plane we were so excited we registered for another 5 races that year.  Turns out that young lady was Ann Wessling, the striped-socked, high-fiving announcer for the Rock n Roll races. We ended the year with 10 races (9 half marathons) and our first (inaugural) Rock Idol Heavy Medal. Garret Schmidt saved us a second medal for our picture on the shores of Rock n Roll Miami Beach (ours was in the mail).

We hit another inaugural in RNR Pasadena in 2012. I'm not sure where it got into our heads that we would do another 10 races, but the schedule filled up quickly. We met Dan and Jackie Evans, contestants from The Biggest Loser season 5.  They were in the early stages of setting up The Biggest Loser RunWalk race series. We signed up to raise money for Team Future, the Chicago area charity they were supporting, and they were gracious enough to treat us with VIP passes for Rock n Roll Chicago. That was the race we met Beth Deloria and Jim Austin. Beth is the director of social outreach for Allard and the GetBackUp Today movement. She runs with a special brace on her left foot because her ankle was paralyzed from a spinal surgery, but it hasn't slowed her down. She's a Boston qualifier and she and Jim are among our closest friends. By the end of the year, we bought memberships to the Half Fanatics group (#1731 and #1732) as Christmas presents to each other.

In 2013, things took a turn for the ridiculous. We had become good friends with Al and had dinners and post race celebrations with him and Caryn since RNR San Jose 2012, but when Competitor Group had a scheduling overlap putting Rock n Roll San Antonio and Rock n Roll Las Vegas on the same day, Al called me saying 'you know, it might be possible to do both'. We'd done full marathons before that, obviously, but even this was a step up. That was the year Double Live / SA2LV happened. We also added the inaugural Berkeley Half Marathon the following weekend to moon up to Earth level as Half Fanatics with 3 halfs in 3 states in 10 days. That split double gave us a good start for the Brazen New Years Eve/New Years Day double, just a month before we did full marathons 4 days apart on Antarctica and South America.

A second vow renewal, this time with a larger party on an emotional weekend.

The finish line at Vegas with a warm welcome from Ann.

2014 was our busiest year with 47 half marathons between us. Susan had the extra race that year at the Zooma Women's marathon in Napa, California. I didn't race in it, but was there in full support in an electric blue tutu. We also added the 50th Anniversary Mustang Half, a once in a lifetime chance to race on the Las Vegas Motor Speedway. We were able to walk in The Biggest Loser RunWalk races in Casper, Wyoming and Panama City Beach, Florida. It was also the year we did our first Disney races, starting with the Dumbo Double Dare in September and Disney Avengers in November (as the first half of the Avengers/RNR Vegas Double Live 2). We were even part of George Melichar's moving art museum at Rock n Roll Chicago. At Rock n Roll San Antonio, we hit our 15th RNR race, putting us on the first ever Heavy Medal Hall of Fame for CGI.

2015 saw another pair of Disney races and two The Biggest Loser RunWalk races.  We went back to where we did our first full marathon in Anchorage, Alaska to mark 10 years since our first race. The celebration was also our 20 year wedding anniversary.  With the inaugural Rock n Roll Brooklyn Half, we checked off the 25th state for half marathons. After this year's Disney Avengers/Rock n Roll Las Vegas double, we also finished our 15th RNR for another entry into the Hall of Fame. 

Messing with Darth

Dan and Jackie. The Biggest Winners in our book.

More than anything, we'll remember our first 99 races with our friends. We cheered for Joe for his 100th finishing his Rock n Roll race in DC. 

In the rain at DC for Joe's 100th Rock n Roll

We prayed for Beth as she underwent major surgery in March and recovered quickly enough to race again in May.

Pre-race at Rock n Roll Raleigh. Beth was just a few weeks out of abdominal surgery and came out to cheer us on. We all wore bibs in her honor.

We came together for Erin Zeman. Joe, Kevin and I wore her husband, Jake's bib from the day he passed away at Rock n Roll Savannah 2013.

Rock n Roll San Antonio will be our 16th RNR each for this year and our 45th half for 2015 combined. And it'll be a race where a lot of our best friends are hitting the 15 race Hall of Fame for the year as well. I want to see how many people I can fit into a group selfie of all the friends we've made over the years and the ones we hope to see for years to come.

I am grateful for every time I post a picture of my suitcase and the dozen or so luggage tags from the races we've done that year.

I'm glad that our bodies have forgiven us for the miles that we put on them.

I'm looking forward to the finishing in San Antonio on Sunday. It'll be the last of our first 100 half marathons.

At that time, and always, we'll celebrate the present.

~//~

I found this way of displaying our race history a little surprising. It didn't really dawn on me that we have been racing nearly every other weekend for almost three years now, most of them out of state. It does make me wonder if we've found a sweet spot or we're just taking a quick pause before going to the next level.

By the numbers, the 100 Half Marathon breakdown and stats.

Top Race Companies: 
- Rock n Roll Marathon (67 and 68 halfs, 5 and 4 fulls)
- runDisney (4) 
- The Biggest Loser RunWalk (4)

Most Frequented Races: 
RNR San Diego (6)
RNR Chicago (6)
RNR Seattle (5)
RNR Arizona (5)
RNR Las Vegas (5)
We've also done Nike San Francisco 10 times, but 8 of those were in support and we did the full marathon as pacers.

States with completed Halfs: 25
In order of completion: California, Alaska, Hawaii, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Illinois, Texas, Tennessee, Rhode Island, Virginia, Florida, District of Colombia (yes we'll count it), Oregon, Colorado, Ohio, Missouri, North Carolina, Wyoming, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Louisiana, Indiana, Michigan, New York.

Canadian Provinces: 2
Quebec, British Columbia

Legacy Races: 
RNR Portland (4 years). We haven't seen this on the 2016 RNR schedule yet.
RNR San Francisco (3)
If you count these: Disney Avengers (2) and RNR Raleigh (2). 

Fastest halfs: 
Walking: Ron 2:22:28 RNR San Diego 2015, Susan 2:29:23 RNR San Diego 2014
Run/Walking: Ron 2:55:54 (yeah, go figure) RNR Chicago 2014, Susan 2:30:03 RNR Cleveland 2013

Best Age graded performances:  
Ron 63.27%, Susan 65.63%

Best Overall Finishes:
Ron: 1st place - TBL Casper 2014, TBL Las Vegas 2015, 3rd Place - TBL Panama City Beach 2014, American River Parkway 2014
Susan: 2nd place - TBL Casper 2014, 3rd place - TBL Las Vegas 2015.

Age grade awards:
Ron:  1st Place - Eye Q Fresno, 3rd Place - Eye Q Fresno
Susan: 1st Place - Eye Q Fresno, 1st Place American River Parkway (twice)

Favorites - random categories, because people always ask the question:
Ron: 
Favorite overall - Kauai. Tunnel of Trees and the most beautiful finish chute starting at mile 11.
Favorite Urban - RNR Chicago. I can do without the bridges, but the city is awesome.
Favorite For Speed - RNR San Diego. 4 PRs in 4 years (one in the 5K)
Most memorable: RNR San Antonio/RNR Las Vegas 2013. For many reasons.

Susan: 
Favorite Rock n Roll race - Vancouver. The last 3 miles smell like fresh cut Christmas trees.
Race with the most to look forward to at the finish: Diva San Francisco (Tiaras, Feather Boas, Champagne)
Most Scenic: Maui, Monterey

Finding Neverland - Rock n Roll Brooklyn Half Marathon 2015

Week 3 of Rock n Roll Marathon Series fall season took us to Brooklyn for the Inaugural Half Marathon. Competitor Group actually had a Rock n Roll event in the city in 2013, but offered only a 10K, not a half. Brooklyn checks off a milestone for both of us, being the 25th different state for half marathons.  Yes, if you're wondering, there IS a club for Half Marathons in half the states.

The Saturday race on the east coast meant an early Thursday flight. Other than Ron taking a suitcase to the head on the second leg from Dallas to LaGuardia, traveling into Brooklyn was smooth. A rush hour Uber ride later and we were at the Aloft checking out the rooftop view and grabbing a quick bite at Forno Rosso. 

Not a bad view from the rooftop bar at the Aloft. The rain came the next night.

Pizza. And dessert pizza.

After a couple of weeks rest, I wanted to see if I could take another crack at a PR so we turned in early. Friday morning, we were able to navigate the subway system to get to the Brooklyn Expo Center. If you're a visitor, I highly recommend the MTA app for your smart phone!

The expo was tiny, but somehow we spent over 3 hours there as we met friends coming in waves. Mindy was conscripted into working merch even though she was planning on running the next day. We picked up a few of the Brooks branded gear items. No luggage tags. Boo.

We met the new president of the 100 Half Marathons Club, local Jenipher. Andrea is still with the club in a support role. They've got a long list of discounts and a membership fee that just keeps the website up. The new shirt design was really eye-catching, but Jenipher is already looking to upgrade. 

We knew Kamika, Kevin and Joe were heading in so we waited around, chatting with Amy, Ryan and trying to figure out who's going to be where in October as RNR has two-race weekends each of the next three weeks.  October could mean another 30 people could hit the 15 race mark and earn the Hall of Fame medal for the year. We left our mark on the banner for this, the inaugural event.

I had this weird feeling we were lingering a bit longer than usual until I realized Joe was stalling us. He was waiting for Erin Zeman to come in from the city. In 2013, Erin's husband, Jake, died shortly after crossing the finish line at Rock n Roll Savannah. In 2014, we were part of the first wave of runners to run wear bibs for Team Trust, a foundation for Erin's son, Jack. Since then, Erin had asked several people if they would wear Jake's Savannah bib in his memory.  Erin told me she'd looked up Jake's name recently and found our blog and asked if I'd be willing to be the next to wear the bib. I was nearly moved to tears as I accepted.

After the expo we took a quick ferry ride to Manhattan, grabbed lunch with Kevin and headed back to the hotel. The rain started so we stayed close for dinner. The 7 AM gun time, subway ride and with extra security planned at the start put us at a 4 AM wake up call.  Sorry guys, it's the way we trained. Maybe next time, we'll stay up late to enjoy the city!

Race Day, Saturday October 10th. 

Forecasted temps in the mid to high 50's from 7 AM to 11. Pretty much perfect race conditions.

We were able to see most of our friends in the starting corral. It still amazes me that we can do that in a crowd of 17,000. Maybe we've known each other so long, we know each other's habits even without a set plan for a meeting spot or time. It's a great way to start off the race regardless.

We even saw Megan from Maryland. We didn't know she was racing until reading Facebook feeds the night before.

Susan and I let the first 10 corrals go by, waiting for the 2:15 pacer. The plan for the first 5K  was to stay between him and the 2:20 pacer for the first half since it was a decent net downhill. The out-and-back from the start to mile 3 gave us a chance to cheer for the runners ahead of us and for Susan to take some pictures. 

I think this might be what Coach Becky would call showing 'flashes of legal form.'

Things went well and I hit the 10K mark at 1:06:22. The turn at miles 8 started a 3.5 mile gradual uphill followed by the biggest hill on the course at 11.5 to 12.1. From what I heard, that hill was a PR breaker for a lot of people. I stopped looking at my elapsed time at the top of the hill and did the best to spike the heart rate and finish strong, making a weak attempt to high five Ann before the finish line. While I did manage to walk sub 11 minute miles for all but the mile 12 hill, I missed my PR by 27 seconds. My Garmin distance was 13.15. I'm going to analyze this to death in the next few months, but given the course and the previous two race times in the last four weeks, I have to be happy with the result. The real bummer about pushing a race is that I don't take any time to say hi to Ann at the finish line. Good thing Susan had enough manners for both of us!

I hope you had time to find some pizza, Annie!

Cell traffic was so bad I couldn't estimate how far back Susan was, so I stayed in the finisher area a little longer to recover. I was standing next to John Volpe when one of the staff said they really needed help at since they'd lost a few volunteers at one of the food tables. Having nothing better to do, I unloaded about 5 crates of bananas and chatted with McKenzie while breaking the bunches and handing them out. All in a days work, it seems.

Susan came in just under 3:10. Her plantar is getting work with physical therapy and a chiropractor now, so hopefully she can keep it under control until we can take a long break from racing to rest.

We met up with Erin to return Jake's bib. For the four people who have worn the bib, there seemed to be some kind of magic to it, like someone was watching over the race to help us dig deep when we needed an extra push. I hope she continues this tradition and lets someone else get touched by this race magic. 

Erin had previously asked Hailey (RNR Nashville), Joe (RNR Portland) and Kevin (RNR San Diego) to wear Jake's bib

We sat on the grass listening to Nate Ruess, the headliner band. It's something we rarely do because we're usually checking out of the hotel the day of the race. Instead of going home, we stayed over one more night to meet up with Susan's coworker Errol and see Finding Neverland. The race recap aside, I found a lot of lines in the play to hit home this weekend.

"Believe it and you can be it."

We met Amy and Ainsley after Rock n Roll DC. They said they saw the Hall of Fame Banner and wanted to be on it in 2015. Amy (left) earned her Hall of Fame medals for her 15th race this weekend.
Ainsley will get her 15th next week in Denver. 

"Second star to the right and straight on till morning."

A quick shout out for folks who finished the half in Brooklyn and hopped on a plane for a race the next day. Jessica (left) and Adrian (second from right) ran the Long Beach Marathon on 2.5 hours of sleep. Ainsley (second from left) and Hyalker (right) ran the Chicago Marathon. Special mention to Carl Marino who flew into Brooklyn early morning Saturday after filming an episode of Homocide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda in Nashville all day Friday.

"When your feet don't touch the earth, you can't feel the fates that hurt

And you're free, there's no need to come down. When your feet don't touch the ground."

Ilona finishes her 16th Rock n Roll of the year, the last 4 with her left foot in a boot. She was hoping ET would help her fly.

And finally, my favorite Neverland lyric of the weekend just fit with this lady.

Harriette Thompson at Rock n Roll San Diego 2015 (Photo from CGI)

At age 92, Harriette Thompson is the oldest woman ever to complete a full marathon. She started running in 1977 at the young age of 54. We had the honor to escort her back to her hotel. She didn't run Brooklyn, but was an enthusiastic cheerleader for Team in Training from the sidelines. It took a while to get the golf cart to a place where we could grab Uber.

Ms. Thao's Wild Ride

The lyric?

"Neverland is a place I created where people never grow old." 

This was our 109th race since we started. I was 38. Susan was 37. 

I feel like if we keep this going, we'll never grow old.

~//~

RNR had previously held events in Brooklyn in 2012 and 2013 with only a 10K distance which is sort of messing up our total RNR race count. Originally, we only counted half and full marathons and we don't count 5K and 10K races during remix weekends that started in 2014. We're not sure how to treat Brooklyn 2013's 10K where Susan ran but I didn't, putting her one up on me in the race count. Tracy Sundlun thinks we should count it so that should be good enough. We'll figure it out in a few years when it starts to matter in the milestones.

RNR Brooklyn drew 17,500 entrants, the max that CGI was allowed by the city. There were 13,315 finishers with a median time of 2:11:15, making this one of the faster RNR halfs overall. The course (Garmin Connect - RNR Brooklyn Half 2015) was basically two out-and-backs starting at the Arch at Grand Army Plaza, running along the north and west sides of Prospect Park to finish at the center of the Park. It was worth plotting the course on Garmin since the elevation maps were a bit off and knowing where the big hill started at mile 11.5 really helped. Temperatures were in the high 50's to start and stayed there until the sun broke through the clouds around 9 AM. You couldn't ask for better race weather.

Things were rocky early on. The digital event guide was a bit confusion when it directed people to the southern exit on Flatbush if they had a bag to check and the gear drop location wasn't marked on the maps. There was about a 30 minute delay for the start as the NYPD were confirming we had the roads clear which actually ended up helping out the thousands of runners still waiting to go through security. For future planning, this would be a REALLY good event to spring for the VIP package as there was a dedicated entrance near the starting line.

At the last race of 2014 (Rock n Roll San Antonio), we heard the numbers of each Heavy Medal level. At the time, the 8 and 9-race medals weren't established and the 15 race Hall of Fame level was brand new and without a medal awarded (but a nice set of RNR swag!). We don't know the counts below 10 races, but according to RNR loyalist John Pannell here's the unofficial tally of people with a shot at Hall of Fame this year with 6 more races left. Philadelphia/Merida has been deemed logistically impossible, but I won't write it off yet. People do crazy things.

Races 2015 2014

7 ? 458

9         22

10 19  300

11 25

12 19

13 7

14 4

15 4 27      Amy and Fred hit 15 in Brooklyn!

16 4

17 1

19*  4

*European races were not counted toward Heavy Medals in 2014. 19 was the highest total for that year.

Turn it up to 11 - Rock n Roll San Jose 5K and Half Marathon 2015

Rock n Roll San Jose weekend is a destination for top runners. Between the 5K and half marathon, over 100 elite athletes were going after world, masters or event qualifying times. According to Race Director Tracy Sundlun, more than 40 half marathoners were in the 65 - 75 minute range (when you don't even talk about HOURS in your finish time, you know it's serious). Add to that the likes of first year Master's division record holders Meb and Deena Kastor and the weekend was shaping up to be epic. And all of this was happening in our backyard!

We know two people on this banner and one who was SUPPOSED to be on the banner. 10 years running!

I was on a personal mission to improve on my time at Rock n Roll San Diego earlier in 2015. I walked a sub 2:30 half for the first time in San Jose in 2012 and recorded two sub 2:25 races the two years since. I thought my 2:22:28 PR was within reach after a good two months of speed work.

We hit the expo Friday afternoon with our dogs Sprint and Dash. The fur-kids weren't allowed in the expo, but we waited outside greeting visitors and seeing our friends in person for the first time. A few of the CGI staff took breaks to say hi in between their expo duties. Ann has been on the road for a better part of three weeks and appreciated the fuzz therapy. Jim, Beth and Joe also met the dogs before Susan had to rush home to beat traffic. Tracy went so far as to suggest we change their names to "Rock" and "Roll". Perhaps with a sponsorship incentive, we could be convinced?

Susan catches up with Ann Wessling who had spent the last three weeks on the road and was badly in need of puppy therapy. Not shown was an assortment of Salted Caramel snacks, milk bones for Thor and sunscreen - the Annie care package.

A VIP welcome for Joe Harris. Thank you so much for the Amazon gift card! The puppies are going shopping!

The 10-Year Anniversary Half Medal

Walking around the area the night before the 5K, we saw San Pedro Square decked out in RNR swag.

The plan for the Saturday 5K was the standard shake out. This time for me, walk just around a 12 minute mile. The Gypsies seemed to have a range of aches and pains this time of year and between backs, necks, feet, bronchitis and allergies, we all fell into a good relaxed pace. Susan and I hung out with Beth and Al jogged up front with Jim. 

New fish-eye lens attachment for the iPhone. I didn't have a cleaning cloth so it's a bit blurry.

An IN Focus RNR Gypsy starting line pic at the 5K.

We had a good 36 minutes to catch up on what had happened since RNR Chicago. I walked a full out sprint at an 8:30 pace for the last 200 meters and felt great. We got a quick recap of the 5K from race organizer Colleen (her first event as lead!). Deena Kastor tied the masters record that morning!

Post race breakfast at Hobee's was a rare treat since we don't often come to the peninsula. In retrospect, laying off the apple walnut coffee cake would have been a good idea.

Sunday September 27th. Half Marathon day. Starting temperature 64 degrees.

Usually we park at the SAP Center (home of the San Jose Sharks), but this year the Prime Minister of India was in town, so participants had to work with other reserved parking arranged by CGI. We got a really good spot at the Adobe building, just a few blocks from the finish and start lines. We swung by the VIP suite and enjoyed one of the huge privileges of the sport - sharing space with the elites, Meb and Deena. I didn't take any pictures just out of respect, but I find it humbling that racing gives us the opportunities to cross paths with people of their stature. It's something you won't find in many other sports.

RNR had a group picture for the Legacy runners at 7:30. Al and I made it with a few seconds to spare. Esmail from Punta Arenas/White Continent and his wife Parisa were also on the list of legacies, but didn't make the group picture.

Annie was looking decidedly much more chipper on day 2. We also found out that Dash seems to have completely healed from his recent knee surgery and was no longer hopping on his injured leg. It seems dog people and people dogs are good for each other.

Joe Harris is one of the kindest, most generous person I've ever met. He continues to honor Jake Zeman, a runner who passed away at Rock n Roll Savannah in 2013, by wearing a bib from Team Trust. Joe is also raising money for the American Association for Cancer Research to honor his brother who died of throat cancer in 2009. 

Once again, our little group seems to find each other without a lot of planning. We were supposed to head over to corral 10 but met up on the way. This group represents over 100 Rock n Roll half and full marathons in 2015. We see each other more often than our own families. Chalk it up to the law of attraction - crazy attracts crazy!

Left to right(ish): Ron, Caryn, Sherry, Don, Michelle, Al, Beth, Ted, Susan, Jim. Ready to Rock again!

Walking a 2:20 half marathon puts the mile pace at 10:38/mile since I was planning on 13.2 miles for the San Jose course based on the previous 4 years. Lining up in corral 11 and remembering to stay behind the 2:15 pacer was supposed to keep me from going out too fast. This is the last picture I took until the finish. Usually in San Jose, I kiss Susan good luck and we see each other 2 1/2 hours later.

The course loops back after the first 4 miles so we did get the thrill of seeing the leaders making the turn from San Pedro Square. Not a bad way to get your heart racing before you even cross the starting line!

The first 5K went fast, a bit TOO fast. I walked past the 5K in 33:02, 12 seconds off my 5K PR. I crossed the 10K mark in 1:07:07 (previous 10K PR of 1:10:43) and I was feeling pretty good. Of course, that's right when the wheels fell off. A few underpass inclines, what other people said was a quick spike in temperature after 9 AM and late fueling put my next 10K just over 1:10. I finished less than a minute off my course PR at 2:24:54, but had absolutely nothing left in the tank. My fingers were going slightly numb and I had to sit near the med tent for a few minutes to keep my head from spinning. I waited long enough for Al and Susan to finish and started the mental checklist for next race.

I had a couple highlights in the finishers area. I reconnected with my next door neighbor from 40 years ago. Raul is back for his first race since being diagnosed with cancer. His Facebook community page I Run To Eat posts some great tips on clean eating, running and inspiration. 

Carl and Ilona Marino earned their Hall of Fame Heavy Medal (15 races for the year). In addition to making time to travel the country to race, Carl plays the young Joe Kenda on Investigation Discovery Channel's Homicide Hunter. Ilona has made a few appearances on the show as a sketch artist and coroner. 

What I found especially endearing about the Marino's is that Ilona has been racing the last few half marathons with a broken foot, in a boot and riding a scooter (below). Half way through RNR San Jose, Carl was seen on the side of the road doing repairs on the wheels. THAT is love!

Finally, yet another shout out to our friend Kamika who flew in from Wisconsin Saturday night after finishing the Brewer's race to check off his 46th state with a half marathon. He's already a 50 state full marathon and a 7 Continents marathon finisher. I wonder what's next on his list?

Looking back, I have nothing to complain about walking a sub 2:25, but I'm always willing to learn and improve. San Jose was my second highest Age Graded finish for the half marathon at 62.2%, so there's something to be said about still being able to push myself. With a two-week break before Rock n Roll Brooklyn, I may still have a shot at a PR. 

Time to turn it up to 11!

~//~

This was the 10th year for Rock n Roll San Jose. We've raced here 6 times, 3 of them resulted in Ron's fastest race of the year. The course hasn't changed in a while. It's flat other than a few underpasses with long stretches of straight road, ideal for a PR race. The addition of the 10K race staring at the same time as the half created a little congestion in the first few miles, but didn't seem to affect the race as a whole. Temperatures for RNR San Jose have ranged from the low to high 60s at race start and finish in the mid to high 70's.

In 2015, Rock n Roll San Jose had 1,993 finishers in the 5K (median finish time 35:40), 3,180 in the 10K (median 1:16:07), and 8,276 in the half marathon (median 2:19:53). Deena Kastor tied the women's US and World masters record at the 5K on Saturday in a time of 15:48, meaning she now owns or shares every masters record from the 5K through the marathon distances. Meb missed winning the half marathon by 2 seconds finishing in 63:02, but shattered the masters half marathon record by over 20 seconds.

The week before San Jose, Leah Reid became the first to hit the 15 race mark to earn the Hall of Fame Heavy Medal at Rock n Roll Montreal. Home town runners Carl and Ilona Marino claimed their Hall of Fame Heavy Medal in San Jose to become the first repeat Hall of Famers. At last check, about 70 people have earned at least the 10-race Gold Record Heavy Medal with four more ready to earn the Hall of Fame 15 at their next race. RNR San Jose was our 11th race this year and with Brooklyn, St. Louis/Denver, Los Angeles/Vancouver and Philadelphia/Merida all in the month of October, I expect to see a lot gold microphones on my friends Facebook walls. 

We're looking forward to joining them for a big reunion of all the Hall of Famers at the final race in San Antonio.