Running with Nelson Mwangi

Time: 72:50
Distance: 16.10k
Pace: 4:31
Map

After posting about our run on Facebook yesterday, Nelson Mwangi who Meagan and I know from Queens in Charlotte, commented about running along the American River. He was interested in meeting up for a run and that's exactly what we did. Instead of turning left and heading in the direction of the Nimbus Fish Hatchery, we turned right and ran along the river toward downtown. It was great catching up with the little Kenyan who is now the assistant coach at American River Junior College which he attended prior to Queens. The team is definitely doing well as they recently won the JuCo State Meet, the biggest race of the year and it's the first time a team from Nor Cal had took home top honors. I'm sure Nelson played a role in the team's success this year.

Christmas Morning Along the American River

Time: 126:14
Distance: 30.03k
Pace: 4:12/k
Map

My mom, Meagan and I arrived at my cousin's house in Sacramento late last night after a Christmas Eve church service that I was dragged to attend. The highlight was not lighting a candle, listening to Christmas carols or seeing a junior high classmate, though those were all fine. The best part was seeing Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive Ins and Dives (Triple D) hanging out with his family just like a normal guy. It brought back memories of the summer in Oklahoma where I got to meet him just up the street from my shitty apartment on Main St.

Being Christmas morning we got to watch the kiddos open their presents before heading out for a run. The goal this morning was to have Meagan run 30k on tired legs at a good clip. The hills of Annadel has both us feeling like hobby joggers. Our route would take us from the house, run 2 kilometers to the bike path along the American River, out to the 15k mark and then back. Hopefully, the pace would gradually pick up and we would be running between 3:55 and 4:10 per kilometer. That's not crazy fast, but certainly an honest effort given where Meagan is at with her training.

Splits:

Split	Time	Distance	Avg Pace
Summary	2:06:13.9	30.03	4:12
1	5:06.3	1.00	5:06
2	4:38.8	1.00	4:39
3	4:39.2	1.00	4:39
4	4:14.4	1.00	4:14
5	4:14.3	1.00	4:14
6	4:09.4	1.00	4:09
7	4:09.9	1.00	4:10
8	4:06.8	1.00	4:07
9	4:05.3	1.00	4:05
10	4:05.5	1.00	4:05
11	4:05.4	1.00	4:05
12	3:59.0	1.00	3:59
13	3:59.6	1.00	4:00
14	4:03.5	1.00	4:04
15	4:09.9	1.00	4:10
16	4:08.4	1.00	4:08
17	3:57.7	1.00	3:58
18	4:02.4	1.00	4:02
19	4:06.7	1.00	4:07
20	4:02.6	1.00	4:03
21	4:06.8	1.00	4:07
22	4:04.6	1.00	4:05
23	4:05.4	1.00	4:05
24	4:01.9	1.00	4:02
25	4:06.8	1.00	4:07
26	4:02.6	1.00	4:03
27	4:01.4	1.00	4:01
28	4:39.0	1.00	4:39
29	4:26.2	1.00	4:26
30	4:25.6	1.00	4:26
31	:08.7	0.03	4:11

As you can see, the pace dropped gradually and was pretty much locked in at 5k. The splits from 6k until 27k ranged from 3:58 to 4:10 with most being about 4:05. The terrain dictated the pace as some sections had brief inclines. Meagan was working at about 20 kilometers, but I think it was more due to a hot spot developing in her right foot.

It was good to accomplish this workout in the morning as we were able to enjoy a great Christmas with family the rest of the afternoon. Let's just say I won't have to curtail my Starbucks' coffee habit anytime soon.

A Great Workout, A Great Scare

Time: 105:46
Distance: 17.27
Pace: 6:07
Splits 1st Half: 7:43, 7:18, 6:54, 6:38, 6:47, 6:26, 6:25, 6:20, 6:10, 6:02, :37 (for .10 miles or 6:02 pace)
Splits 2nd Half: 5:30, 5:26, 5:13, 5:14, 5:12, 5:15, 5:18, 1:06 (for .14 miles or 7:55 pace)
3 miles of walking home

I spent Christmas day in Sacramento at my cousin's house where we had a great feast of turkey and all the fixin's. The following morning the stomach was well stretched out and I ate a few pieces of chocolate before what I hoped to be a 20 mile run along the river. I wanted to make the second half of the run a workout type effort so I casually ran out on the river taking my time and letting my body adjust. I didn't have any Gu or water with me so I had to be patient the first half so I wouldn't bomb the second. I was feeling very relaxed by 5 miles and remained calm until the 10 mile mark. I was surprised at how accurate the mile markers were along the river and it just so happened that Mr. Garmin was about .10 behind when I linked up to the path.

I turned at the 19 mile mark along the trails and geared up for an up tempo pace. I was hoping to hit 5:30s to 5:40s at the start and then drop things down from there with perhaps some 5:20s tossed in. I was going to run hard for the 8.5 miles back to the entrance and then run easy 1.5 miles back to the house. On the journey out I noticed that my left hip was a little tight, but I didn't think much of it because it wasn't that sore and I figured it was a result of me not stretching much the past week. This would come into play huge time at 17 miles.

I was a bit shocked when I saw Mr. Garmin read off 5:30 for my first mile. I held the effort constant and clicked off 5:25. I was certain that I was going to slow down but I relaxed and remained focused. I was nearly in disbelief when I saw 5:13 for the next mile. There was no way I was running that fast on this day, but not only was Mr. Garmin giving me splits but so was the bike path which was marked. I figured things were going to fall off soon, but then I rattled off 5:14, 5:12 and 5:15. These splits were completely preposterous and they certainly couldn't be maintained but I was feeling great and just let them come. Somewhere around 16.5 miles my left hip started getting really tight and I was having a difficult time striding through completely. I made it to 17 miles and was forced to slow a touch with 5:18 before calling it a day. I tried running after stretching the hip and it just wasn't going to happen. The pain was a combination of charlie-horse and stiffness that I just couldn't get rid of. I ended hobbling back to the house not wanting to aggravate things any further. I was happy to have run so fast but pissed that my left was about to fall off. I still have mixed emotions about this workout because it tells me I'm fit but that I'm also incredibly vulnerable right now. I managed to run/jog/skip the final mile once the pain relaxed.

It's My Mom's Birthday Today (And 6 lb. 8 oz. Baby Jesus)

Time: 85:53
Distance: 12.01 miles
Pace: 7:09
Splits: 7:39, 7:20, 7:17, 6:52, 6:55, 6:54, 6:54, 6:52, 7:35, 7:41, 7:15, 6:33

I made a strong effort to run slow today and I think it worked. I didn't have a specific pace in mind but I needed to take a day truly easy. I ran along the Sacramento River which I have done a few times in the past when my mom and I come to visit family. The bike path picks up about 1.5 miles from the house and it runs for miles in both directions. I prefer running to the left when I hit the path which I believe is east. I decided to run on the trails parallel to the bike path because the surface is softer and runs much slower. The river was busier than I expected at 1 in the afternoon on Christmas and I ran into a dude named Ron House who was a pretty big fan of running. He was out for a 20 miler just because he felt like it and didn't have a marathon lined up soon. We talked running for a few miles (see when my splits got really slow) and the topics included the Beijing Olympic marathon, Mt. Sac 2005 when Bernard Lagat ran a sick 5k and the running scene in Maryland/Washington D.C.

Sacramento American River Parkway II

Time: 115:13
Distance: 18 miles

Started from Tara's house and ran the 10 minutes to the American River. I deliberately ran off the levee to the 10.5 mile mark and started taking splits of: 3:30, 6:37, 6:32, 6:30, 6:27, 6:23, 6:18, 6:18. Stopped at the 18 mile mark (7.5 miles along the bike path out) where a water fountain was conveniently located. After a light stretch and some drinking of some water I began the trek back. If I had a Gu packet with me I would have definitely used it, but I didn't so I continued on. The splits on the way back were: 6:09, 6:08, 6:06, 6:04, 5:59, 5:59, 5:51, 2:59. I considered asking some of the bikers if they had any Gu, but I didn't. I stopped around 14 mile mark and got some more water. I wasn't particulary parched but I didn't want to crash out on the bike path.

I'm pleased with how I was able to drop the pace without putting in too much effort. I just let the run come to me and wasn't pressing at any point. The legs eventually fell into a rhythm on the way back where I couldn't run much faster but it wasn't hurting that bad. The run is the longest I've gone in quite some time.

Sacramento American River Parkway

Time: 80:13
Distance: 12 miles

Woke up this morning relatively early but didn't get out the door until 7:30 am. I started at my cousin Tara's house and ran toward the river. I luckily remembered the most direct route that goes through the neighborhoods and pops out near the 10.5 mile mark. Once I hit the bike path I chose to go right (west?) until the 40 minute mark. Since it took about 10 mins to get the the bike path I was able run run a little over 4 miles on it before turning. On the way back I decided to start taking splits of 6:13, 6:15, 6:00 (this was short), 6:20 (this was long), 3:02.

Felt ok but not great after my day off. My right hip was a bit stiff and I stopped and stretched it a couple of times during the run. There were a lot of bikers out along the path and many runners too. When I got back to the house I made sure to stretch out well.

Going back to Cali...

Time: 0
Distance: 0

This morning I was up early to miss my flight back to Cali. My cousin is getting married tomorrow in Sacramento so I am coming home for the first time since Christmas. I scheduled today as an off day to recover from the last few weeks of training. Although, I had to run from my gate in Terminal C to Terminal A at the Phoenix airport. I started out with a brisk walk and ended up running about a half mile to the gate... the legs felt good though.

Upon arriving at my other cousin's house I was put to work out in the yard in preparation for the wedding. After some light manual labor we called it a day. Gus would call it cross-training.

Sacramento American River

Time: 69:23
Distance: 11 miles

Ran from Tara and Tim's house down to the river. I looked up and mapped out a route in my mind before setting out on the run. I had a general idea of how to get to the river and my planning paid off. I made it to the river in about 10 minutes and then settled in along the bike path. Before this venture I would have told you that there is nowhere to run in Sacramento. I would have been greatly mistaken. The first marker I saw along the path was at 11 miles and from there on I was taking splits. Hit consecutive miles of 6:12, 6:05, 6:00, 5:56.

The outside of my left shin was rather tight, so at 35:19 I stopped and stretched before heading back. I was able to loosen the shin up quite a bit by using a "Beware of Mountain Lions" sign. I don't believe that urban Sacramento would have any such beast, but the sign claimed that they were especially attracted to children. Anyway, on the way back my shin felt fine and the splits were 11:41 (2 miles), 5:50, 5:47.

My breathing was in control, but the legs continued to lack the same fitness. Still not worried about it b/c the pace was clipping along. It was a little cold this morning, thankfully I was dressed properly with a couple of long sleeved shirts. At the start of the run I had planned to do some strides once I was done, but the pace was quick enough to get in a good workout. Sooo, I bagged that idea.

Here are some quick thoughts of how to get my legs to feel better:

• run slower
• stretch after running
• elevate legs
• ice legs

The first few options are definitely possible. Not so sure about icing. We'll see.