Moab 2014

15 Saturday Mar 2014

Tags

lodging, Moab Half Marathon, race results

After a super nice dinner last night at Jeffreys, I sleep well and wake up Saturday morning by 6am. Karen and I are staying in the Entrada room at Cliff Rose Flats. Nicely appointed room with a Moab theme; a couple of blocks from the park where I pick up the bus for the race start, and where the race ends. I’d consider staying here again.

I gear up and head over to the Red Rock Bakery for a couple of coffees. Karen is up too. I buy coffee here every year because it’s good and the Irish guy running the place is cool to talk to. Upon returning to Entrada, I eat some sheep’s milk yogurt, breakfast bar, and a Naked juice. I top my coffee off with some of Karen’s and head over to the buses at 7:30. I spill some of the coffee onto my fleece warmups on Hwy 128. It’s a bumpy ride in school buses.

It’s a long wait for the start. The half doesn’t launch until 10am. This event needs time for the logistics of busing 4000 runners up the canyon. I don’t find Keith until 9:30. I find him at the gear truck. We reluctantly strip down to the minimum race gear and toss our bags in the truck. Keith leaves on two ugly, long-sleeve t-shirts that he plans to leave on the side of the road before the gun fires. Smart way to stay warm. I have my share of ugly shirts. In fact, I have the same ones Keith has.

It’s only cold when the wind blows, which is randomly gusty. The temperature is in the upper 40s. The gun fires and we cross the starting line fairly quickly as we are lined up only about 30 yards back. Still, the first mile is crowded. This is one of the most crowded races ever. Hwy 128 is extremely narrow and without shoulders. One side is mostly bordered by a 2000 foot cliff. The other by a drop into the Colorado River. I’m hoping to run faster than last year’s 8 minutes for the first mile. My Garmin captures a 7:20 at mile one. I probably didn’t need to run quite that fast. My goal is to average a 7:30 mile for this run.

I’m able to run faster as the crowd thins out and record a 6:56 for mile two. I don’t really want to break 7 minute miles so I try to run with a bit more discipline. I don’t feel winded though, although I’m breathing a bit heavy. Mile three comes in at 7:07 and mile four comes in at 6:58. A bit fast but steady. I see Abby at this time but she slows down at the water station and I don’t see her again. I finally smooth out my pace a bit in mile five which comes in at 7:23. Both miles six and seven are 7:33. Exactly what I want to run. I want to hold this pace. And I seem to be doing just that.

I see these times after uploading them to Garmin.com. I stop looking at my watch after mile two because I lost the GPS signal and don’t trust the results. I don’t feel like I need the Garmin either. At least not while running. I do like reviewing my splits online after the race. I know I’m running well because I’m breathing hard while my legs don’t feel heavy. So no oxygen debt. This is like walking a tight rope and I’m walking it without a net. Well actually I do have a net. If I hit oxygen debt, I’ll slow down.

I don’t know how long I’ll be able to hold this pace. Doubtful for the entire distance. I could slow down now to save energy. That’s a typical strategy when you’re racing a heat and simply need a certain time or place to qualify for the next heat. I’m not doing that. And because this could be my last race for a fairly long time, I’m just going for broke. I’m going to run hard until I can’t anymore. That happens soon enough.

I run mile eight in 7:31 and the ninth mile in 7:26. This feels great. I’ve been passing runners non-stop the entire course. The tenth mile leads uphill and is paired with a wicked wall of wind. My pace drops dramatically. I know about this hill and was prepared to accept slowing down for it. This massive wind was not anticipated and I didn’t expect to slow down quite this much. A few runners pass me and makes me question if it isn’t something else. They have the same wind and hill. I pull out a gel in case this is a nutritional thing. I finish it before reaching the top. My pre-race plans included the hope that I could fly down this hill. That doesn’t happen and I run mile ten in 8:03. A dramatic thirty second slow down.

The 1:40 pace sign catches me – I’d passed them somewhere in the first half. I resolve to run with them. Since I started a minute or two behind them, hanging with them will have me under 1:40 – which is exactly what I want. Then a freakish thing happens. My hat blows off and I have to turn around to chase it in the wind. This is probably good for a ten second hit to my pace, but I keep running hard. I finish mile eleven in 7:50. I don’t catch back up to the pace sign though.

Two more miles remain. I think I have it in me to run faster, but I’m content to hold my pace. I’m not sure if I’ll meet my goal of running a 7:30 pace. I don’t care too much now because I ran some really satisfying miles. Mile twelve comes in at 7:44 and the final mile in 7:49. A bit off the 7:30 pace I want but I ran enough well under. My Garmin and the official race results are oddly off more than usual. My Garmin captures my total time in 1:39:18 and a 7:29 pace. The race results show a 1:39:19 and a 7:34 pace. I imagine the pace from the race is correct and the Garmin was off from losing its GPS for a bit. Doesn’t matter much. I didn’t beat last year’s time but was only about 30 seconds off. You can never compare these races apples-to-apples, because of the wind. In my mind, I ran about like last year and met my pace objectives almost spot on.

Karen and I meet up for dinner tonight with the rest of Jabe’s Running Team at the Cali Cochitta where a number of them are staying. Half the runners in this pic live in my neighborhood. Shoot, many of them on the same street. We figure, if we add in Fred (not pictured), eight runners are from Tenacity Street in the ‘hood. Most everyone seemed to have a good run today. The wind did not spare anyone. Likely all will be back next year.

Keep Austin Weird

08 Saturday Mar 2014

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Tags

Alamo Draft House, BCRT, Flemings, Johnny Martinez, Moab Half Marathon, Susan Collier, Tomo's, Top Golf

Got in a couple more miles in Austin today before flying home. Thirteen more to be exact. My flight isn’t until 8:30 tonight. Too late to make Steve’s poker game. Not too late to see Karen after my three weeks away. Ellie will be at a sleep-over. I imagine Karen will have already eaten dinner. Maybe she’ll want to stop off for a drink somewhere. Of course it’ll be after 10pm. We’ll think of something.

I had some good runs down here. I ran 26.2 miles across the streets of Central Austin – surprisingly fast (for me) in 3:45 and felt good doing it. I had a fantastic trail run at Pedernales Falls – a state park with special memories for me. I ate at my favorite restaurants and discovered some new ones – from sushi to steakhouses. Saw a movie at the new Alamo Drafthouse at Lakeline.

I hung out with family; eating multiple plates of sushi bombs followed by quail egg shooters at Tomo’s, ate the best Thai ever. My father-in-law plied me with a 2011 Round Pond cab sav and bought me one of the best ribeyes ever at Flemings in the Domain. I played several rounds of Cards Against Humanity – always a riot. I also saw some old friends. Visited Ray Johnson in San Antonio where I drank home brew better than I can buy in a store. I met up with Johnny Martinez in Austin. This was a complete surprise as my sister ran into him in the grocery store. We first synched up at a Starbucks but went out last night to Top Golf. If you haven’t been to a Top Golf locale, think bowling. No, think swanky outdoor club with fire pits and live music and dance floor. No, think pub food. It’s hard to describe but pretty fun.

My run today was in the quintessential Central Texas rain and mist. Actually great for running. I planned to run down on Town Lake for my last day but Mom wasn’t feeling well so I opted to stay close by. I ran 13 miles on the Brushy Creek Regional Trail. Fairly pedestrian but really nice with the creek, Live Oak and Texas Cedar. My knees don’t care for the pavement but a good half of it is softer trail. Next weekend is Moab. That will be my last run for awhile. Which is fine. I have a sore knee that could use the time off. I’d like to squeeze in another snowshoe or two with Karen. I’ll need something to blog about.

Racing Shape

19 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Tags

Moab Half Marathon, Steamboat Springs Marathon

I registered today for the Steamboat Springs Marathon. Because I’m confident I’ll be in shape for it. With two half marathons under my belt for the year, both my fastest ever, I’ve demonstrated I’m in racing shape now. Prepping for the marathon will require longer runs during the week, but with DST that’s doable.

I discovered my stomach might not be up to speed with the rest of my body. Not sure what to think about cramping toward the end of my run in Moab. I didn’t have that issue in Austin in January and I ran even faster in that half marathon. I researched dry heaves a bit and didn’t find any good advice on how to avoid it. Seems to simply be from exceeding one’s limits. I don’t care that it slowed me down so much because I was going to purposely slow down anyway. I was waiting to reach the last street corner of the course and start to cool down the remaining distance – which I estimate between a quarter and half mile. Instead I doubled over within a couple of steps of the corner. My finish time might have been the same regardless. My best guess is that I got excited from the cow bells or something and didn’t notice picking up the pace. That elevated my heart rate and led to the stomach cramping up.

The Boulder Half is in 3 weeks and it finishes with an uphill just before entering into the Boulder Res. There is maybe a quarter mile from the top of that hill to the finish line. Assuming I run a similar pace, I’m going to slow down on that hill and cool down for the final quarter mile. That’s actually my typical form and I need to return to that. Better to maintain dignity than finish fast. Not sure why but the blood tends to rush out of the face when vomiting and I don’t need a butt-white face for my finish line photo.

The Boulder Half will complete my winter racing schedule. I guess the first week of April will be spring, but for me that event will mark the transition from winter maintenance to spring racing. Besides Steamboat, all I have planned is the Bolder Boulder 10K at the end of May. Given the registration cost of these events, that’ll be enough. If I can maintain the shape I’m in currently, Steamboat could be my fastest ever marathon. Considering it’s totally downhill. And not counting the runs of my youth. I haven’t run any fast 10Ks since my return to road runs. It’ll would be nice to run fast in the Bolder Boulder. I won’t be competitive for my age division, but just for myself it would be cool to rip one. Feels good to run fast. Except when it doesn’t.

Kenzie’s Cottage

16 Saturday Mar 2013

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Tags

Moab, Moab Half Marathon, SWSX

Here’s a view of the tool shed I stay in while in Moab. It’s in the back yard of the 3 Dogs & a Moose cottages, near the hot tub. I’ve yet to stay in a standard motel in Moab; I always go to one of these unique home rentals that pervade this town. You can easily get a group to rent out an entire yard of cottages, or choose to socialize in a communal living fashion. My bed is so comfy I nearly oversleep this morning. I do still have time though for a coffee and banana from the Red Rock Bakery and Net Cafe. I go here every trip for coffee. No matter how late you are, there is always time for a coffee.

I talk to a guy on the bus ride up the canyon from Cortez – the Four Corners area. West of Durango. He has ten years on me so we talk as much about planning for retirement as we do running. I am wearing warm fleece but barely need it. It is quick to take off and stores easily in my gear bag. I throw that into the gear truck on the quarter mile walk up to the starting line. I keep a ten dollar bill and my drivers license in my blue North Face shorts back pocket. It isn’t a twenty because I anticipate two free beers post-race. I also sport the baby blue, short sleeve, cotton race jersey that came with my registration. Along with the official race running hat. Might be my first Moab without tights.

Abbie and I run into each other lining up. We’re both targeting 1:45. We try to line up in that pace group but runners are packed into the street tighter than any race I’ve ever been in and we can’t even reach the 2:20 pace sign. I find out over drinks later that the Paris/Hotshot Team is running in front of us and much of the rest of Jabe’s team is running directly behind us. Still, this is the closest to the starting line I have ever been in Moab. I don’t normally try to get up front but I’m looking to push myself today for a faster start. I’m hoping to average an 8 minute pace and do so evenly each mile. My first mile is exactly 8 minutes.

In case you glossed over this, Jen, Kelly, Steve and Keith all started ahead of me. Susan and the rest were barely behind me. And this is as near as I’ve ever been to the front. That means only one thing. Everyone I know in this race is out to get me. This is going to be a race.

While together, Abbie talks to me about being a child’s advocate lawyer during immigration hearings. I ask her if she could tell me any heart-wrenching stories. We don’t have much time. No sooner than did she say yes and start to open up, I lose sight of Abbie and come upon Jen around mile 2. My two running sirens. The sirens are tempting to run with but I accelerate. Mile two is in 7:24. Nice. With that under pace, I determine I will keep score based on over or under my 8 minute per mile goal. And to keep from being overwhelmed by the pure math of it, I record by 30 second blocks. So at this point I am under by 30.

I know of course this event starts largely downhill and I could possibly be in pursuit of oxygen debt. But I don’t think so enough to slow down. This pace feels right. I’m certain I can hold this for the first 6 miles. I do that and then I just need to maintain 8:30 per mile for the second half. This is what I call strategerizing on the fly, an essential skill that only comes with experience. Mile 3 comes in at 7:22, mile 4 at 7:20, mile 5 at 7:23 ( some hills around here if you think I slowed down but I can tell you I was thinking about having just run 4 consecutive miles between 7:20 and 7:24) and mile 6 comes in at 7:07. I’m in good shape for making my time now.

It’s also about now that my focus begins to drift from the race. I go back to thinking about putting so many separate buildings into a single yard. Why am I intrigued by this area’s architecture?. It works out for me and I’m currently in a shed in the backyard with another running party who took the rest of this space. No way my HOA would let me construct little apartments throughout my backyard. But before I can finish my thought on why this should be wrong, I realize I support this residential zoning freedom. There is something about the Southwest and having multiple buildings for specific tasks. I’m certain I saw this last spring in the Yucatan. The kitchen is a separate building. Bedrooms are separate buildings. But everything is enclosed within a courtyard. This is classic Spanish architecture that embraces outdoor living. I don’t see this in the buildings themselves but rather in the manner that Moab allows home owners to commercialize their properties in a style reminiscent of the old Southwest. I owe Abbie $280 for my shed.

I’m not surprised when my 7th mile comes in at 7:16 and 8th at 7:19. I was two and a half minutes under my target pace after 6, and my start to the second half is faster than the start to my first half. By a lot. I stop tracking my under. The 9th mile has a noticeable hill and my legs feel it. I’d imagined mile 9 as a critical point to make a move and here it is. But I don’t need to make a move. I need to hang on. Per the plan I put together by mile two, I simply need to maintain pace – which is officially 8:00. The hill in mile 9 is followed by a downhill. Mile 9 comes in at 7:22.

Around this time I get passed by the first runner in my entire race. I heard the noise behind me of someone slapping their feet way too loudly, hence hard, against the pavement. This sounds so bad I consider advising the person about to pass me on their running form. He pulls up beside me and to my surprise is wearing flip flops. Seriously. So we start a conversation. I forget the brand but these sandals are in fact designed for running. This is the farthest he’s ever run in them but besides a potential toe blister, he feels good. He then leaves me in pursuit of the 1:40 pace sign.

I think I might have caught him back; I see him later in the finishers shoot. I pass the drums. Then I pass the 1:40 pace sign. I continue to run strong with mile 10 in 7:25 and mile 11 in 7:24. It’s not just the unusual speed that has my confidence soaring. It’s the consistency of the times. Running like this is magical. At this point I don’t care what happens, I could walk in from here and feel great about the day. Mile 12 comes in at 7:30.

Then tragedy strikes. Nearing the final corner with less than a half mile remaining, my stomach begins to heave. To the point I stop and bend over. There’s nothing in my stomach so it’s dry heaves, but painful and a real clock stopper. I lose 30 seconds, the 1:40 pace sign passes me, and I can’t reach them before the finish line with a final mile time of 8:08 and total race time of 1:38:38. Hells yeah!

This is just behind my time for the Austin Half last January where I had a 15 mph wind at my back on a downhill sea level course. Moab has always been tough for me. It’s as technical as pavement can possibly be. This bests my previous time here by 11 minutes. Despite the unfortunate dry heaves a few minutes prior, I feel like I just ran the perfect race. I get water, my finishing medal and a picture. Then I wait for my neighbors to quickly pile up. Abbie, followed closely (chip time) by Kelly, and soon after Keith. We take medal pictures together.

I move aggressively through the food farm to the gear bag pick-up. I eat an orange section and grab a banana. I down the two free beers, meeting up with Kelly, Keith and Steve in the beer garden. I miss a turn and end up back on Main Street while walking back to my shed. Only a block out of my way really but this takes me past the Moab Spa. Nice. I walk in and wait for the receptionist to finish her call. Based on her conversation, her next opening for that person is at 7pm. I think he hung up on her. She proceeds to tell me that 7 is the soonest, unless I am ready in 40 minutes for a 2:00 appointment. That’s exactly what I was going to ask for. Sold. I spring back to the shed to shower and promptly return. Breann at the Moab Spa is a runner too. She knows what I need and gives me one of the best massages in the history of the world. Perspective.

From there I go to the post-race party for drinks and dinner – catered by Pasta Jays. I think I arrived late. Anyone there ahead of me is surely ahead of me in the consumption of libations too. Ever a quick study, I ask Steve to make me some Gin and Tonics to help me reach par. This works well and Steve now has another satisfied customer. Funniest commentary of the night? Seemingly sober, Jabe tells Eve, “I’m thinking of getting hair extensions.” Quick and matter-of-factly, Eve responds, “They don’t come in gray.” This is followed by all sorts of humor inappropriate for the adult kids stunned by their parent’s ribald display. I retire to my shed after a soak in the hot tub. Fast times, good day.

Pre-Race Moab

14 Thursday Mar 2013

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Arches National Park, Delicate Arch, Jaggers, Moab Half Marathon

Drove out with the Jaggers Thursday afternoon amid summer weather. Previous Moab experiences include imperfect weather. The drive went nice from the back seat. We talked up until dinner at il Bistro in Grand Junction a little after 8. The last leg from GJ to Moab was a bit quieter. We mostly searched for some comet but couldn’t see it.

We did see a lot of arches the next day. That’s the Delicate Arch behind us in this pic, with the La Sal Mountains further back. The rest of Jabe’s running team showed up sometime between us visiting this arch and 9pm tonight. Jabe has 18 of us running this year. I think most of us have run Moab before and we’re all in agreement this is the best potential weather ever. Asking for no wind is probably pushing it but it’ll be warm by the end of the run. I’m planning to wear shorts and the blue short sleeved t-shirt that came with my gear bag. I’ll cover up in tights and another shirt or two pre-race. I’ll even store some heavier gear in my gear bag. Why not be prepared?

I’m ready for tomorrow. I figure I’ve been running about an 8:30 minute pace on my weekend runs and expect to be able to run that fast tomorrow. My goal though is an 8 minute pace to break 1:45. I can’t promise how I’ll feel tomorrow but intend to increase my odds by lining up with the 8 minute pace sign. That’s about all I can predict at this point. I believe an 8:20 pace is my best yet along this stretch of the Colorado River. I’ll write how this story ends after tomorrow’s run.

Sirens

09 Saturday Mar 2013

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Tags

LoBo Trail, Moab Half Marathon, pretty runners

There was no question but that I would be running today. Despite the media setting this weekend up like a blizzard with 30 mile an hour winds; this morning was a pleasant 33° with big falling snow flakes and otherwise still air. I pulled on my running tights, a compression top and North Face shell, mittens, gaiters and hat, and was out the door onto the LoBo trail by 10:30am. I might not have needed the tights, or gloves, or even the hat. This was ideal running weather. As soon as I hit Creekside Park and saw a couple strolling comfortably by, I realized I was comfortable too. This weather might not appear inviting to others looking out the window from their cozy living rooms, but it occurred to me I felt great running outside in this snowfall. A hard to describe feeling of freedom passed over me. Like a young Tom Cruise jumping on the couch in his underwear. Like making a snow angel naked. It felt good to be outside embracing this storm, feeling the clouds release against my face. This was going to be a nice run.

I pocketed my gloves a little after a mile, about the time a runner was approaching me ahead on the trail. I could make out the runner was a woman, although I’d pocketed my glasses too since they had become caked with snow. But her running clothes were evidence enough to know she was a she. She was wearing a neon yellow, or maybe some shade of green, running shell. And she appeared to be wearing a matching set of wine colored scarf and mittens. The scarf, if that’s what I was seeing without my glasses, was tucked underneath her shell. She was dressed stylish for winter running.

As we passed each other I saw she was Jen and she saw I was Ed. I must not have been obvious underneath my winter gear either. We both shouted out at each other but didn’t stop. Not sure if that was rude, sorry Jen. You didn’t stop either. We were both past the point of no return once we identified each other considering the dangerous footing in the snow. And while I am not saying I was running faster, I do carry a good 70 pounds or so more momentum.

A minute later I saw what appeared to be another girl runner making her way back onto the trail after perhaps taking a pee stop in the field. Hard to say what she was doing and my imagination sometimes gets the better of me on runs. As I drew near I saw she too had on a stylish knit hat, purple I think, with a whitish running shell. Two smartly dressed women in a row. As I passed she shouted out at me that her direction was harder. I quipped back that I didn’t think so. My logic being that I was going slightly uphill, but I think she was teasing.

In fact, I continued thinking about it for the next few minutes and came to the conclusion, or delusion, that there was something unnatural about the odds of passing two running beauties in a row like that. And I got the distinct impression they both wanted me to turn around to run back with them. I have to be careful here because as a guy, I oftentimes believe women want me. But they both laid hints that I should turn around. Stunning looks. Fashionably dressed. The second vixen clearly calling out to me. And although I couldn’t quite make her out, she sounded like Abbie. Was that Abbie? Maybe she was actually running with Jen and fell behind for a potty break. Although I’d suspect that more of Jen.

Regardless, these running Sirens were clearly conspiring to turn me around. Assuming that was Abbie, then they don’t want me to train for Moab. Their pleas were intended to send my fitness to the rocks so they can beat me next week. A lesser man might have succumbed but I steered straight ahead. I was planning to run 12 miles today and the weather was ideal.

I came up behind a 3rd runner, passing him a mile after that Abbie-like apparition. Honestly I was a bit disappointed to find he was some clunky guy. My expectations had been set for better running fare. And shouldn’t sirens come in threes? I know Homer settled for only two, and only a demigod would be arrogant enough to require more, but three would have been nice.

As I thought on this more, it occurred to me that I did come across three sirens on the trail today. The first was the big, fluffy snowfall that greeted me outside. And while I still believe the vexing allure of the second two were intended to wreck my training for Moab, this first siren lulled me into a serene mood to run all day long. These thoughts were all in the first three miles. Similar thoughts spanned across the horizon of my mind for the next nine miles. Seeing my house at the end broke my trance enough to stop me from running all day long. I can see the snow blowing sideways out the window as I sit here now by the warm fireplace blogging. Probably a good thing I called it a day.

Eleven After Noon

04 Sunday Mar 2012

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Moab Half Marathon

Ran eleven miles today with my neighborhood Twelve O’Clock Running Club. True to form, we met up after noon. These boys have been staying fit. They need to as we are all slated to run the Moab Half Marathon in two weeks. It’s a toss-up between Keith and Kelly as to whom is the most fit. I’m going to go with Kelly. The boy has been doing this boot camp that focuses on your core. Core matters.

Today’s pace started out a bit fast for me. Perhaps a month in Austin has lowered my high altitude capabilities. Not sure but I was winded the first half today. I led most of the way back and ran at a slightly slower pace. That felt better. Kelly would run noticeably faster whenever Eminem played on his playlist. I might offer him a special playlist for Moab – with a few Carpenter tunes thrown in the mix. Kelly picked up the pace on a long hill with about two miles remaining. That’ll help him in Moab as there’s a substantial hill after 9 miles. Based on today though, we’re all in good shape for Moab. From what I understand, the entire neighborhood has been putting in the mileage and is ready. Moab here we come.

The Bar Code Diet

10 Tuesday Jan 2012

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

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Tags

beer wine and spirits, Daily Burn Food Scanner, Guinness, Moab Half Marathon, wine of the month club, WSJ

The new year has gone off like a gun shot. Work is in full sprint with 12 hour days, lunch at my desk, and leaving little time for running. But I’m catching up on my fitness regimen. I got in 3 days in a row over the weekend. And I started situps and light weights. I feel my tone returning. More importantly I believe I’ve established some diet discipline to counter the re-emergence of my belly over the holidays. I’m limiting myself to only a single beer per day.

This is not to say I only drink a single alcoholic beverage per day. I’m not insane. I’m starting with some beer discipline and will expand into wine if warranted. I will say not all beer, wine and spirits are the same in terms of calories. I know this because I’ve started to scan the bar codes on bottles for their calories with my food scanner iPhone app. Many beers are probably not as bad as you think. A Guinness is only 126 calories. And yet my scan of bar codes on several spirits showed that many and more for a glass of whiskey or gin. Certainly more once you add tonic or other fillers. Don’t think you’re sparing calories simply because you avoid beer.

I haven’t actually scanned my wines. This is because I receive my vino in monthly cases as part of the WSJ wine-of-the-month club and those bottles don’t come with bar codes. Or QR codes which are the more graphical equivalents like you see on the tomato in the picture above. That one translates to “organic” in case you are interested. From what I know, every type of alcoholic beverage adds up to roughly 100 calories. Light beers might be less but most other drinks are perhaps closer to 125 calories. Let’s not even talk about a frozen rita.

Point is that at 49 I have to both diet and workout if I hope to lose any weight. I gained 10 lbs. at the end of 2011 and need to be back down to 180 for the Moab Half Marathon in March. Which is totally doable, but not by simply wishing it. I think I’m on track. I feel like the discipline is in place now and it’s just a matter of time before I start seeing results.

A Runner’s Year in Review

31 Saturday Dec 2011

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Storytelling

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Tags

Amazon Kindle, Austin Marathon, covered calls, Moab Half Marathon, Zilker

2011 wasn’t really about me. I had an 18 month old nephew survive a heart transplant. He’s now 24 months old and I suspect Little L will dominate the next decade, and that’s okay. My mom is getting on in years with more than her fair share of ailments, but she maintained a fairly steady pace and I was able to visit her during the Austin Marathon and on Mother’s Day as well as Christmas – which is more than usual.

I had some personal achievements though. Top of the list was completing the 500 mile Colorado Trail with my buddy Rob, and it wasn’t even on my calendar at the start of the year. Second was finally trading options. I consider investing/trading as much a hobby as anything because I enjoy it and trading options is something I’ve read numerous books on but had never done until 2011. I’m not a day trader by any means – I might do several trades per month – but I spend a great deal of time reading financial news and books. I maintained decent fitness in 2011 which was a goal. I ate healthy foods. I would argue I didn’t accomplish my exact goals on running. I wanted to increase my speed but instead opted for hiking. I also gained a few pounds after having lost weight in each of the preceding four years. Lastly, I didn’t start on another 2011 goal of writing a book. Most of my new year’s resolutions will be to further unfinished 2011 objectives.

I want to spend more time with my mom so I’m considering living and working from her home in Round Rock for a month or so. She can make do on her own but it’s not wise and my brother lives with her now. Of course Steve has his own house and maybe he’d appreciate me giving him some time to live there. Ideally, I’ll do this in the late winter / early spring. I just returned from Austin yesterday – the picture above is of Karen and me checking out the Tree at Zilker Park.

As for running, my plans are to run a series of half marathons – mostly trail runs in the mountains. I’ll start with Moab in March. I still need to correct my plantar fasciitus, but I don’t expect that to limit me too much. And I’m going to make a concerted effort to trim down my abdomen. Enough is enough. I’m also going to move our elliptical into my office to work out on during conference calls. The idea being this will replace the snacking I do currently. I might do that tomorrow.

I’m going to increase my trading focus on options. All I actually did last year was sell covered calls which is easily the least risky type of options trades. The only risk is that you can’t sell a stock that is losing value until the expiration date. And you won’t likely recognize gains over the strike price. This isn’t important to me because I generally sell stocks after 10% gains and I set strike prices at 10% for my covered calls. This has worked out well for me as I handily beat the market in 2011. For 2012 I intend to begin buying options rather than simply selling them.

My last big goal will be to write a book. At least start a book. Blogging keeps my writing skills exercised but I haven’t written much fiction lately and would like to tell a story. This is going to take discipline. I could be wrong but I suspect I’ll get a great deal of satisfaction from writing a book. I don’t care about the publishing aspect – I’m not trying to become a novelist. I’ll just upload it to Amazon. Related to writing is reading and I’ve already downloaded a series of books to my Kindle to keep me busy in that area.

I am happy with 2011 and feel pretty good about 2012. At least I have plans. One of my neighbors told me last night he intends to make quarterly resolutions for 2012 thinking they will be more obtainable. Interesting concept. I’m going to ask my friends and neighbors at the NYE party tonight what their goals are. I usually find I’m not very unique and expect to hear numerous goals on health and fitness. I’m curious as to what people’s work and career goals are. I need to put some focus on that as well. I had a really cool project in 2011 and have an idea of what my primary task will be for 2012, but it’s not well defined yet. I like to manage my own career versus being tasked and I need to put some focus in that area.

For all my plans, 2012 is still unknown and whose to say what will happen. I actually like the prospect of the unknown. It’s exciting.

Spring Season

26 Saturday Feb 2011

Posted by Ed Mahoney in Running

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Austin Marathon, Bolder Boulder, Colorado Trail, Moab Half Marathon, recovery

Sure it’s still winter – especially in Colorado considering it just snowed the last two days. But that little 26.2 mile jaunt down in Austin last weekend marked the end of my winter training. And today was gorgeous outside. About 45° with strong sun splashing off the new snow. I was able to wear a single layer of Under Armour cold weather gear. I bought a new white, mock turtle compression shirt. Looks pretty good from my chest up. Compression gear isn’t too flattering on my bowling ball belly.

I feel pretty good after the marathon. I ran 4 miles Thursday and 8 today. I was quite a bit more sore after the Denver Marathon, perhaps from running faster. I had a sore lower stomach that felt like a hernia for several months after. It didn’t go away until I began doing sit-ups again in January. From the Austin Marathon, I have a pain lingering in my lower left leg. It feels sort of like a high ankle sprain. I’m guessing it’s from running so much of the marathon on the right side of the road which is not normal. I recall a number of times shifting position from the curb to the crown of the road for a more natural feel. It should go away soon but I might try some toe raises to see if that speeds up the recovery.

This official race pic above was taken maybe a minute after crossing the finish line. My finish time is finally posted – 4:23. That’s 23 minutes slower than I expected, which is fine. What I learned from the splits being posted is I clearly went out too fast. I ran the first 10 miles at an 8 minute pace. I was running with the 8:30 pace team, so some help they were. I didn’t notice because my breathing was fine, but clearly my legs are not in shape for such a torrid pace. I believe a 9 minute pace would have been perfect. As it was, I probably slowed down ultimately to a 12 minute pace as I finished with a 10 minute pace overall. Bottom line is I need to relearn how to pace myself. I used to have such a good feel for that 20 years ago. And since I’ve learned I can’t trust the pace teams, I might have to start wearing a watch.

This pic to the right catches my fatigue in the last 50 meters. I’m going to remember the pain from this race for years to come. It might have been harder than my very first marathon at age 16. The rest of the year should feel downhill. My next event is in a month – the Moab Half Marathon. I intend to practice my 9 minute pace for that puppy. I hope to show some improvement in the Bolder Boulder in May. I don’t have anything officially planned after that. I did enter the lottery to run the New York Marathon in November. I won’t be too disappointed if I don’t get selected. Otherwise, I’m looking forward to some hiking on the Colorado Trail with my buddy Rob this summer. I think I might finally be in good enough shape to hang with him.