May 30, 2009 Newsletter

THIS SATURDAY AT-A-GLANCE

Mileage: 12
Volunteers:
Bananas - Denise Ellison (May 2, 9, 16 and 30)
Bagels - Mira Reverente (May 16 and 23)
Set-up and Breakdown - Naomi Kress

TRAINING CORNER
By George Arita, Adviser of Training
Georgerunvta@aol.com

LSD

Congratulations to those who ran LAM. Hope you fulfilled your expectations or did even better. I think the weather was good (I was OOT), just got back last night (Wednesday) and didn’t have time to catch up on the newspaper reading. I don’t even know who won. LAMers should have been taking it easy during the week and can rest or do a short and easy (4-5 miles) on Saturday.

Those running RNR in San Diego or Shadows must rest on Sat. Don’t overdo yourself at the expo.

Others, if you went out for 8 miles last Saturday, you should go for 12 miles this Saturday as part of your “8 – 12 – 8 – 15” maintenance, no race routine.

See you all on Saturday.

THE "OTHER" INSIDE TRACK NEWSLETTER

Many of our members have been getting two newsletters, one from our distance-oriented group and one for the more track-oriented group. As we move forward, we will be incorporating everyone into this one list. In the meantime, as we migrate over, we will be posting links to the other newsletter so that everyone can get all the information. See the other newsletter here:

http://www.runventura.com/itrcnews_other.html

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT

By Christopher Means, recent LA Marathon finisher
cmeans@ctm-design.com

2009 LA MARATHON

What an amazingly beautiful day for a marathon. The morning was just right, so no extra coverings such as sweats or even trash bag dresses were necessary, though the well-prepared still had them handy. It was a typical southern California morning, balmy-but-overcast.

“I Love LA” by Randy Newman looped over and over as we did the shuffle to the start, finally getting to jog as we passed 6th street and he crooned “6th Street! We Love it! We Love it! We Love LA!” No Ali or Flo-Jo to send us off this year like in years past, but I always love Randy. I’m with him in our love for LA - like only a true New Englander can.

It was a slow but steady race for me. My training had been as spotty as the LA Marathon’s track record for the year, changing dates and courses multiple times as it went through some issues at City Council and the change of ownership over to the LA Dodgers owner Frank McCourt. However, it was my 14th LA Marathon, so I figured my muscle memory would get me through. I took it easy, and they did me well.

Along the course were the usual suspects, the running Elvis’, Darth Vader, the USC Trojan, even running testicles (promoting male cancer awareness) were out this year. The one-legged veteran on the single roller skate was missing again, it’s been a few years since I’ve seen him. I hope he is well and happy, his was a struggle but also a beautiful determination.

The young cheerleaders from all the schools were there, enthusiastic and supportive, as were the bands of all varieties. Colors exploded everywhere - neon from the 80s is back. OMG. Like, totally...

I slapped a lot of high-fives, thanked the volunteers, and people watched; between the almost 7’ female runner to the under 5’ guy who whooped up the crowd as he ran, telling everyone how great they were, and all the folks in between; it was quite the show. I love the variety, and try to celebrate the differences.

I think Students Run LA was the biggest winner of the day, out in force in their bright neon green. To see SO many kids, so happy, running so long and hard, just makes you swell with pride. Girls and boys of all shapes and sizes, who have found joy and accomplishment in running. You know these kids know now – they can do anything! I’d love to see a program like it in Ventura some day.

Overall it was a lighter turnout than years past, but with close to 15,000 runners it was still the spectacle it tends to be. The weather, and the high clouds, would last the day, making it a course-record kind of day (and that’s just what kind of day it was for the winner – Kenyan (via University of Louisville) Wesley Korir, who finished in 2:08:24 (that’s a sub-5 min pace!) – so, just slightly ahead of me.

The one real bitch I have was with the course length and my Garmin 305 GPS. I noticed early on that the distance-mileage flags were a bit off, and near the end of the race at mile 25 (per the GPS) I poured on the final kick trying to beat those last ticks. It seems my Garmin was off, not the mileage flags (according to race officials ;) – my Garmin would read 26.57 miles at the finish line, almost .4 miles longer! That last kick averaged 173 bpm heart rate, which is max for me, and to do it for that long, at the end of the race... I thought I might puke when I finally crossed the finish line.

As I sat on the curb at the end, exhausted, a Students Run LA boy sat next to me and started texting. I gave him my congratulations and he looks back at me - “I beat my time by over 10 minutes from last year!” he says, a twinkle in his eye and a grin showing on his face, the sweat still pouring down.

Next year I believe McCourt wants to change the course again, this time to run from Dodgers Stadium to the beach. Sounds like fun to me! I hope to see more of us down there next year. Long before there were so many marathons and half-marathons throughout the US, there was LA. It’s like going home for me. It’s always new and fun, even though I’ve “been there, done that.”

CLUB NEWS

*Birthday greetings

May 12- Jeff Lowell
May 14 - Ed Burnett
May 27 - Erin Howard

May 23, 2009 Newsletter

SOCIAL EVENT ALERT!!!

On Sunday, June 7, we will be having a potluck barbecue at Arroyo Verde Park in Ventura. This will be the perfect opportunity for the newly-merged clubs to meet and mingle. Families and friends are welcome!

Please mark your calendars. Time and other details to follow.

THIS SATURDAY AT-A-GLANCE

Mileage: 8
Volunteers:
Bananas - Denise Ellison (May 2, 9, 16 and 30)
Bagels - Mira Reverente (May 16 and 23)
Set-up and Breakdown - Naomi Kress

TRAINING CORNER
By George Arita, Adviser of Training
Georgerunvta@aol.com

LSD

This weekend is a rest weekend for those running the Los Angeles Marathon on Monday May 25, 2009. But you are welcome to come on Saturday to volunteer your services. See Naomi. Thank you.

For those running the San Diego RNR next Sunday (May 31st), Saturday will be your final long run – eight miles at marathon pace. For those with other upcoming races, run your Saturday miles according to your schedule.

For all you racers, I wish the best for you. Run smart, run well. Come back and tell us all about your accomplishments. Volunteer to write an article for “Been There, Done That.”

For everyone without an upcoming race on the agenda, I highly recommend staying in “half marathon” shape at all times, that is, run 8, 12, 8 and 15 miles on successive Saturdays throughout the year. Those distances are not “killing” and you can easily transition into “marathon training mode” at any time.

I will be OOT this weekend. Head Honcho Tom McK will be in control of the bagels and bananas.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT
By George Arita, recent SB Wine Country Half-Marathon finisher
Georgerunvta@aol.com

SANTA BARBARA WINE COUNTRY HALF MARATHON

This “almost local” half marathon is definitely a “must do” event for ITRC members, females and males. I mention gender because, this race, held the day before Mother’s Day and includes The Breast Cancer Fund as one of the charities, is adorned with participants of the nicer sex. The pre-start announcement stated that 70% of the participants were women. True to the numbers, of the 13 ITRC members (whose names I could recognize) present that morning, 9 were females (69.2%). Throughout the race, I found it most rewarding being a middle-of-the-packer.

Despite the threatening Jesusita Fires in and around Santa Barbara, the conditions in Santa Ynez and Solvang were ideal for running. It was cool with light breezes and clear skies throughout the event.

It was only a couple of blocks from my motel to Solvang Park (adjacent to the finish line) for the bus ride to the start in Santa Ynez. I met Mike and we rode the bus together. The start is directly in front of Maverick’s Saloon in Santa Ynez and diagonally across Hwy 246 from the Chumash Casino, if that would be of interest to some of you.

The 7 AM start was delayed about 20 minutes (late women no doubt), but start we did, some 2000 of us. The first 5.9 miles (what was referred to as the “first leg” for relay participants) took us from Santa Ynez to Los Olivos. There was a net gain in elevation but so gradual and hardly noticeable. During these miles, we ran past a mixture of homes, ranches, farms and small vineyards. Grand Avenue leads straight into Los Olivos. From at least a half mile out, I could see the tall flag pole that marks the center of the small town, and as I got closer, I could hear music and loud cheering. It appeared as though the entire town was out there to cheer us on. The timing mat marking the end of the first leg of the race (5.9 miles) was in Los Olivos, and those running a relay made their exchanges there.

The second leg of the race (7.2 miles) was more “open” with long stretches of vineyards on both sides of the road. I found it rather peaceful, “country peaceful.” The topography however was not exactly “peaceful.” Soon after leaving Los Olivos, we encountered the infamous “Corkscrew,” 0.7 mile of uphill (300 feet?), with most of the elevation gain coming over the last 0.3 mile. The Corkscrew was followed by a rapid descent into “peaceful” Ballard Canyon. At around mile 11, when you think the race is almost over, we encountered the multiple hills of Chalk Hill (wonder why they named it Chalk HILL?). But surviving this final insult, a quick right turn puts you on Atterdag Road and about three-quarters of a mile downhill to the finish line on Copenhagen Avenue. The final tenth of a mile along Copenhagen is lined with YOUR fans shouting YOUR name (it’s on your bib) and your name is announced as you approach the finish line.

The “food” tent had water, energy drinks, cut-up bananas, oranges and bagels (What no WHOLE bananas or bagels!), yogurt, cheeses and other goodies. I recommend taking handfuls of cheeses and crackers if you plan on participating in the wine-tasting event. There was a problem with shirt distribution, but this was a one-time breakdown due to the late arrival of the shirts from the manufacturer.

The Santa Barbara Wine Country Half Marathon is highly recommended. Mark your calendar for next year’s race on the Saturday before Mother’s Day. And register early because the race sells out.

SUGGESTION: if you would rather not spend precious bucks staying overnight in the area motels, you can pick up your packet on Friday at the Doubletree Inn on Cabrillo Blvd in SB and then take the bus early on the day of the race from the same Doubletree for $20 roundtrip.

CLUB NEWS

*Birthday greetings

May 12- Jeff Lowell
May 14 - Ed Burnett
May 27 - Erin Howard

Good luck to our members who are doing the LA Marathon this weekend!

May 16, 2009 Newsletter

VOLUNTEER ALERT

Do you like to write? Do you have experience blogging? Do you have a few hours to spare every week?

We are looking for a volunteer who can put the weekly e-newsletter together every week for the months of June, July and August. Training will be provided.

Interested? Please send an e-mail to mirarev@hotmail.com

THIS SATURDAY AT-A-GLANCE

Mileage: 10
Volunteers:
Bananas - Denise Ellison (May 2, 9, 16 and 30)
Bagels - Mira Reverente (May 16 and 23)
Set-up and Breakdown - Naomi Kress

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT
By Tom McKiernan, recent Big Sur Marathon finisher
mckrunt@aol.com

WORD FROM BIG SUR 2009

To begin with the ending:

RESULTS

John Mc Kiernan 3:46
Rafael Gonzalez 3:49
Tim Lysaght 4:09
George Arita 5:39
Tom Mc Kiernan 5:49

The event started off with check-in and pick-up of bus passes. When the lady in charge of passes discovered my age she was so amazed she said I would board the special buses with upholstered seats at 4:15 at the Marriott. Nice! The bus ride to the starting point took about an hour. When our bus arrived the assembly area was full of runners. John and I worked our way through the masses to line up for a porta and remove our sweats when I hear the announcer telling the crowd “the oldest man in the race is TMK from Camarillo who is 81.”

As I moved into place on the highway for the start I find George and we stay together for the start. It is cold enough that we are both shivering, but not near as bad as Sacramento. Cliff Bar had formed pacing groups and I decided to go with the last one; 5:30. Since I had started with George, but not for long, I watched for the group to catch up to me. The first couple of miles tends downhill and was easy going. At mile 5 we left the trees of the forest and were greeted by a fresh breeze and the arrival of my pacing group. They passed me in short order with their leader calling out instructions.

By mile 10 the wind had picked up and we approached the famous Hurricane Point. This hill begins at sea level and rises to over 500 feet. The winds had now strengthened considerably. One the way up I met Yolanda, whom John and I had met at Napa. She was easy to spot with her jacket that read “MARATHON MANIACS”. John and I had used her as our rabbit at Napa, trying to catch her at the finish line. Soon we came to the pasture where each year they display the prize winning bull on our left. On our right a herd of cows were mooing away. I wondered if they were longing for a visit from the bull, or were just contented cows producing the milk for the California cheese. George later translated for me because of his farming background that they were shouting, GO MARATHONERS - EAT CHICKEN!

As we left Hurricane Point I was praying that the wind would let up. Not this year! It grew to equaling the point’s name and would pull the cap off my head so I needed to carry it in my hand. Soon after Bixby Bridge the most photographed spot in the run, and the half way point, I came upon Alliya. (A story from Tom must have a young girl in it.) She was having trouble and thinking of dropping out. She had trained in the SF Bay area by herself and had not run a previous race, of any length. I told her she would finish and within the required time. I offered some tips and in short order we arrived at the station where the runners are offered hugs. I got mine and felt better immediately. At mile 17 my phone went off and it was John telling me he had finished, just as I had predicted.

Soon we came upon Carmel Highlands where the road is heavily cambered (slanted), providing a new challenge to newbies. Here the road is designed to keep cars on the pavement doing 30 miles an hour around sharp curves. Not good for runners doing 5 or 6 mph. All along the way we had good support from volunteers at aid stations offering water or Gatorade, but next came the cocktail stop. Oranges, pineapple, and apples, and bananas - fruit cocktail.

At mile 23 I was delighted to have John join me and help bring Alliya and me through the final miles. As we approached the finish I made myself visible and they announced the same message they had at the start, “Here comes Tom McKiernan, the oldest man in the race. We three finished in 5:49 well within the limit of 6:00. Just after the finish I saw Yolanda come in at 5:54. I was feeling great that I had beat her, until in our visit I discovered she had run a marathon in the San Diego area the day before and had flown up to Monterey the night before to do Big Sur. She also told me she had run 62 marathons last year. I dispatched John to get me a Michelob just in time to have them call my name for the award for 80+. This year there were no runners in the 75-79 bracket.


CLUB NEWS

*Birthday greetings

May 12- Jeff Lowell
May 14 - Ed Burnett
May 27 - Erin Howard

May 9, 2009 Newsletter

VOLUNTEER ALERT

Do you like to write? Do you have experience blogging? Do you have a few hours to spare every week?

We are looking for a volunteer who can put the weekly e-newsletter together every week for the months of June, July and August. Training will be provided.

Interested? Please send an e-mail to mirarev@hotmail.com

THIS SATURDAY AT-A-GLANCE

Mileage: 10
Volunteers:
Bananas - Denise Ellison (May 2, 9, 16 and 30)
Bagels - Mira Reverente (May 16 and 23)
Set-up and Breakdown - Naomi Kress

TRAINING CORNER
By George Arita, Advisor of Training
Georgerunvta@aol.com

LSD

Those of you training for the upcoming LA Marathon ran 14 miles last Saturday facing a fairly stiff breeze going out. Without the breeze coming back, it was rather warm. The calendar calls for a 12 mile run this Saturday, and the forecast calls for more wind and more heat. Seeing that LAM is only two training Saturdays away, I recommend a change in the mileage for these last two Saturdays. Instead of 12 miles this Saturday (May 9), I recommend going just 10 miles (at marathon pace). And instead of 10 miles the following Saturday (May 16), I recommend going 8 miles (at half marathon pace). I believe the shorter distances run slightly faster than usual will do you good. Of course there is no running on the last Saturday (May 23 – just eat and rest!). This should take you to the starting line fresh and ready to run.

Those of you running the San Diego RNR Marathon (May 31) can follow the original calendar miles.

FIVE TRAINING CALENDARS AVALIABLE

The five calendars are posted on our webpage (www.runventura.com) in pdf format (thanks to webpage master Topher Means) for easy printing for your use. Why five calendars? I wanted to cover as many leg-moving interests as possible. Find one that fits your plans. If you need further tweaking, let me know.

• YEAR-ROUND FITNESS CALENDAR. For members not presently interested in marathoning but would like to keep those legs moving for the purposes of fitness, wellness and socialization. Members who had just finished a marathon (or other race) with no other races planned in the near future can also use this calendar, just to stay in shape.

• 26 WEEK NEWBIE MARATHON CALENDAR. For members new to long distance running or returning after a lengthy layoff.

• 16 WEEK VETERAN MARATHON CALENDAR. For veteran members with LSD of 14 miles or more.

• 16 WEEK BACK-TO-BACK MARATHON CALENDAR. For members running a second marathon in 16 weeks.

• 8 WEEK BACK-TO-BACK MARATHON CALENDAR. For members running a second marathon in 8 weeks.

Is there a need for more? Let me know.

HAUL IN YOUR FRIENDS

With our club reorganization, we can accommodate people of any and all exercise interests. More runners are welcomed, but we certainly welcome people who are interested in walking, run/walking or slow running, that is, those that will fill the “fitness, wellness and socialization” category. That is the population that I targeted with the Year-Round Fitness Calendar. I am disheartened to see so many apparently unfit and unhealthy and visibly overweight people of all age groups in our community. My dream would be to have all these people out on the training course with us every Saturday (and Sunday, Monday, Tuesday and Thursday). If you feel a family member or a friend can use the health-boosting exercise, have them come and join our club.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT
By Denise Ellison, recent Ragnar Relay LA finisher (SKIRTs team)
dmecnm@gmail.com

THE RAGNAR STORY

The Ragnar Relay started for us back in October. We received an obscure encrypted email from June Muller. “Hey guys, I just found out they are going to do this relay in Los Angeles. Check it out. Let me know if any of you are interested.” (Here is where you insert the visual of the Pied Piper of Hamelin.) Moments later the email replies start bouncing back. “I’m in.” “Oh, yes. Me too.” “Me three.” And before the sun set we had a team. I believe the Pied Piper had an easier job of gathering the rats and leading them to the river than June had leading 12 women from Santa Barbara to Dana Point.

Our first hurdle (track jargon) was to pick a team name. We had a number of options. Chicks Ahoy, Femme Fatales, and Society of Kick-butt Individuals Ranting Together (SKIRTs), to name a few. We settled on a nicer version of SKIRTs (Society of Kindred Individuals Running Together). Partially because we thought we could work a uniform around the name and partially because it didn’t offend anyone. This displeased Denise who lives for the moments someone might be offended.

The second bump in the road was deciding on a team uniform (a.k.a .costume) and team colors. Men have it so easy. They just show up.

Without question we knew we were going to wear a running skirt. But what color? The skinny members on the team decided that white skirts would make their butts look too big. And red, well we all know about women who wear red. So, black skirts with their obviously slimming effects would be a perfect choice. Then, what color would our shirts be? What would our logo look like? Should we wear long sleeves or short? Tanks or tees? Etc, etc, etc. You get the picture.

All this and we haven’t even seen what the course looks like or been assigned our “legs”. Come to find out it didn’t really matter what leg we were assigned because 1 week before the race they changed the course due to some permit issues. This made some legs shorter by a mile or two and other legs longer by 1, 2, or 5 miles. No big deal, right??? We are trained professional runners. Then 36 hours before the race the organizers deleted 7 legs of the race. Again, something about an unnamed California governmental group (CalTrans) and permits, or lack thereof. Ooops. Permits? We don’t need no stinkin’ permits.

Friday morning at the crack of dawn and Van 1 is en route to Santa Barbara for the start of a race and the beginning of 38 hours in a van with 6 women and a captive male. You quickly learn that a 15 person van might not be big enough. You learn that “Suck it up, buttercup” and “Own it” are words to live by. You learn that any decision made is really just a momentary suggestion that is bound to be changed within the next five minutes. You learn that running a relay might just be harder than running a marathon.

186.8 miles (minus 30’ish miles) later we reached the finish line in Dana Point. It was Saturday afternoon and we were all tired, hungry and a little cranky. It was a great experience with some running mixed in. Would I do it again? Ask me next October. But next time I want to run with the boys who just need to show up. (Editor's note: Are you really sure about this?)

CLUB NEWS

*Birthday greetings

May 12- Jeff Lowell
May 14 - Ed Burnett
May 27 - Erin Howard