As a runner, a Goletan and an ice cream lover, I always feel compelled to run the McConnell’s race. That doesn’t mean it was easy to get out of bed on a foggy morning, but I did.

The race itself was fun. I started at a comfortable pace and held it while enjoying the reliably flat Goleta bike path that I’ve been running on since my UCSB days.

I felt pretty good as I started the final mile, so I switched gears, nudging myself to go a little faster. Shortly before the finish, I realized that I’d been creeping up on Jenny, one of the trainers (AKA sadists) at SB Training. As we got closer to the finish line, and as I recalled the smile on her face as her fingertips repeatedly tapped the up arrow to  increase the elevation and speed on the treadmill just the Monday before, I thought “I should catch her.”

My sprint finish looked something like this. We tied. Thanks for the push, Jenny.

One of my favorite things about local races is that every one is a reunion of local runners — the ones you know and the ones you don’t know. And on an out-and-back course you get to cheer for them. It’s worth noting that you’re likely to see most of the people in a race again sometime soon. So, hey, maybe think about that before passing and cutting in immediately in front of me or when moving to the left to block the path so I can’t pass. (You know who you are.)

But as I was saying, good to see friends … like Dan, Marie and Elda below.

Last week I recycled more than two dozen issues of Runner’s World magazine. It’s been awhile since I’ve had a subscription, so these were issues from 2002-2004. Some running advice is timeless, but if I don’t know the basics by now, dusty magazines aren’t going to help. Other stories — about gear or nutrition trends — are terribly outdated after just five years.

Still, I ripped out a few articles showing good strength training moves and stretches. I put those in a folder that will likely get dusty and be thrown away in another couple of years.

Runner’s World always allowed me to daydream about improved performance and jogging along gorgeous trails around the world, but it also grounded me with sensible advice. It said, “Here are the tools — the training schedules, the equipment, the diet. Now you do the rest.” But most importantly, Runner’s World reminded me that there are a whole lot of people who understand this running thing and thereby understand a little bit of me. Thanks!

I don’t even know where to start applying the Tiger Balm.

When I recently wrote about things I’ve signed up for, I neglected to mention the 60-mile MS Ride in October. The farthest I’ve ever gone on a bike is 35 miles, so this is a bit ambitious. My average mileage is about 4 miles per month, consisting of two 1-mile rides to and from work.

Tonight, in what I can only assume was some FRS-fueled insanity, I decided that I would not only ride my bike, I would go for a run immediately after. I would do my first “brick” workout.

My route (approximately):

• Costco to 101 overpass at Winchester Canyon
• Cathedral Oaks to Patterson
• Bike path at Patterson through Goleta Beach and UCSB
• El Colegio
• Phelps

With the exception of heavy traffic on Patterson — where my mantra was “at least I’m near a hospital” — it was a lovely ride. At 1:03 I was back at my house. My 3-minute transition included stashing my bike in the garage, removing the gloves and helmet, changing my shoes and shorts, ditching my phone and taking a swig of water.

Then I confidently took the first strides of my first brick run down my driveway.

My left knee popped, my right hamstring revolted and I yelped. In my yelp there was truth. There was understanding. You can not hop off a bike and head into your full gait for a run. That was one of the fastest lessons I’ve ever learned.

I rubbed my hamstring and continued, shortening my stride to a shuffle. As I jogged, I pondered the name “brick.” Is it because it feels like you have bricks tied to your legs or because it feels like people are throwing bricks at your legs?

I only ran 14 minutes, which was enough to get around Girsch Park and back to my house. I felt like I had achieved my goal. I had the brick experience.

I no longer have to worry that while I debate which head of lettuce is freshest or how many green beans I need that the automated grocery store sprayers will come on, startling me and making me jump. While it’s healthy to get your heart rate up (and entertaining for other shoppers to see me jolt), it’s healthier still to buy local, organic produce from a community farm.

Every Tuesday I go to Fairview Gardens to pick up produce for the week. I’m part of its community supported agriculture program. I pay a set fee for a season, and each week they select an assortment of fruits, vegetables and herbs that I pick up in their specified quantities. It’s more than I can consume since I’m often cooking for one, so I split a small share with a friend.

In just the first month or so, I’ve had fantastic spinach, basil, strawberries, peaches, carrots, avocados, green beans, lettuce and more.

It’s really helped me eat more vegetables. Healthy food has made it into my house, which greatly greatly improves the odds of it making it into my body. I’m now eating things I wouldn’t normally pick up at the grocery store because they’re part of my crop share each week.

By some magic, I’ve gotten by for a long time with a diet consisting primarily of carbs and cheese. I suspect working fresh produce into my diet will help my energy, my focus and my running.

Some items challenge my culinary skills. I’ve had some success, but there’s a learning curve. I admit: the kohlrabi and dandelion went bad before I got creative. And when the fennel was on the list, I gave my portion to my friend, who I know has actually used it before.

And now I get to share with you a list of things I learned the hard way at the Brian Waterbury Memorial Rock to Pier race on July 11.It sounds like a great idea: Organize a 6-mile race along the sand at low tide. But for a paid event, there wasn’t enough emphasis on the word “organize.”

It was a bad sign when the woman at the registration table said, “If you’re lucky, you can find some safety pins on that table over there.” It appeared they ran out — 20 minutes before the race started.

Tip #1: Bring your own safety pins.

Race organizers can’t control everything, like the weather.  The photo of Morro Rock to the left looks nothing like where I ran this weekend — even though it’s the same beach. The morning was so foggy that you couldn’t even see the rock from the starting line — even though it was towering over us. The fog even obscured the Cayucos Pier so much that by the tine it came into view, it was almost too late to sprint.

Tip #2:Wear some sort of garmin or pedometer if you want to be able to pace yourself. Even if there wasn’t fog, there were no mile markers. The posters at the start line said there would be water stations at 2 miles and 4 miles. At 23 minutes, I figured I’d definitely missed the 2-mile water station or perhaps it wasn’t there. I think I saw a water station somewhere around the 4th mile, but it was so far off the course in the soft sand that I didn’t see a single person taking the 50-yard detour to get water.

Tip #3: Don’t count on the water stations.

I loved leaping across the puddles along the shoreline; listening to the waves; and maneuvering through the slippery kelp bed that washed ashore. The next day I looked up the results online to see my final time, which I wanted to compare to my 2006 time. Unfortunately, my name was not in the results. There was no evidence that I ran the race. I’d even washed the sand layer off the backs of my legs.

Tip #4: Make sure you know how to attach the disposable timing chip (PDF). Apparently, it should be a big loopy D-shape protuding from your shoe and not flattened in any way.

Having completed the Rock to Pier, I’m now deciding which variation I should try next: Rock to Rock? Pier to Point? Pier to Peak? Hmmmm… I’ll keep you posted.

1) Rock to Pier race from Morro Bay to Cayucos Pier. I ran this one a couple of years ago. It’s a beautiful 6 miles along the sand at low tide.

2) The Santa Barbara International Marathon Corporate Relay. Thanks, Brooke, Katie and Courtney!

3) Six months membership at Massage Envy. If I’m going to train harder, I want to take care of my muscles, too!

It’s the season of mini road trips, and I recommend heading north to San Luis Obispo County, where I’ve been exploring trails (and restaurants).

While recently exploring the coast by Cayucos, I went for a run along the Estero Bluffs. Starting from the southernmost entrance to the bluffs, it’s probably about a 6-mile path out and back. It’s not that different from the Ellwood Bluffs, where I regularly run. Like Ellwood, it traces a blufftop route through low grasses overlooking the ocean with the occasional snowy plover down below.

With a morning marine layer, the cool air refreshed me while I ran even if it slightly obscured my views of the pelicans and harbor seals on the shoreline’s rocks.

I only encountered one snake blocking my trail, but there were many scampering chipmunks and ground squirrels. I would not recommend running this on a sunny day because there is absolutely no shade, and I suspect sunny weather would bring more snakes out to bake along the trail.

 

There are tradeoffs. The benefit is that it’s a long trail run without much elevation change, but the cost is that the trail has many cracks and holes that could turn an inattentive ankle.  

TO GET THERE: Take Highway 1 north of Cayucos. Just after the divided highway ends, you’ll see a dirt pullout on your left. From there, you can access the trail toward the ocean. When facing the ocean at the edge of the bluffs, the trail extends for a brief while to your left and farther to your right. Explore and enjoy. 

 

There are more details on the Vicki’s 3,000 page (see the tab above), but I want to say a big thank you to everyone who came out to run and help on a sunny Santa Barbara Saturday. Thanks to the commitment of the Santa Barbara Athletic Association, we are again able to support Special Olympics Santa Barbara.

Check the Vicki’s page for links to photos. Results have been added. Thanks for your patience.

You know you love the feel of the track, that slight lean to the left as you round the corners and the way your heart pounds in your chest as you count down those 7 and a half short laps.

So don’t miss the Vicki’s 3,000m Run this Saturday, June 6!

This is the Santa Barbara Athletic Association’s 2-mile race benefiting Special Olympics Santa Barbara.

8 a.m. registration. There is no pre-registration.

8:30 a.m. first heat. Heats based on estimated times.

Santa Barbara City College La Playa Stadium

$8. Checks can be made to SBAA.

For more information about Special Olympics Santa Barbara, click here.

The Wednesday night tradition is back. Last night was the 3rd Nite Moves of the season — the weekly 5K along the coastline that’s followed by food, beer, live music and the loss of feeling in your fingertips from the slightly freezing beach air.

I’ve run Nite Moves on and off for 10 years (with 3 straight years off when I lived out of town). This year I committed. I signed up for the entire 2009 season so that I couldn’t use my usual “it’s too expensive” excuse. 

Last night I had fun. I attribute this to three things:

1) I like running fast*. I was happy that I shaved a minute off my time between the two races this month. When I crossed the mile mark at 20 seconds faster than the previous week, I felt a momentary “Whoah, tiger.” But since I felt great, I kept going. Pacing is overrated.

*And by fast, I only mean fast by my own body’s standards. I gauge fast by my sweat, my breath, my heart rate and my perception of how fast my legs are turning over. I like when I feel like an athlete.

 2) I like my friends. One group of my friends is Athletes (they get a capital A). They’re training for a triathlon, excuse me, an Ironman (the capital I is well earned). Even though they have a nearly religious commitment to their workout schedule, they have fun when the wetsuits come off. They pretty much find some reason to celebrate with cake or cupcakes every week at Nite Moves.

One friend and co-worker ran her first race ever last night. I loved that other friends and co-workers were cheering her in at the finish and showing her where to get the beer.

I also saw a college friend and his wife — she’s out running after giving birth to a beautiful boy only three months ago. All the familiar faces in the crowd reminded me that this isn’t just a weekly race, it’s a runners’ reunion.

3) I like McConnell’s ice cream. It makes me happy. Thank you for the big scoop.

Like anything, there’s room for improvement. During the milling around time before the run starts, I see a lot of people who look lonely or bored — sometimes I’m one of them. I’m afraid that if I just say hi to someone, they’ll look at me with that “Why are you talking to me?” expression.

My challenge for next week: I promise to try starting a conversation with a stranger. If you read this and do the same, the whole scene may become a lot more friendly. And over time, there will be more familiar faces in the crowd and more people to cheer you on as you pass each other.