The Summer went by FAST! Shorter races too!

The kids are back in school but the summer heat is still around. The vacations are done but there are still the fall & winter getaways to start planning. This summer went by way too fast! By the time the summer season winds down, most marathon runners start gearing up the training for the fall races. The "not so Lazy" daze of summer also brings upon the challenges of shorter more high intensity races including 10 and 5Ks. The benefit of these shorter races is that they truly are just a litmus test on our overall conditioning throughout the year.

Personally, I like to take the much needed break from the fall and springtime long distance events. But, by late June the anticipation of the 4th of July Santa Clarita Independence Day Classic gets me thinking of a new PR or holding on to a respectable race time. This years ID5K was going to the 1st time I would try to race both the 10 & 5K. Yes, what a challenge! I figured to take it easy on the 10K race so I would have enough gas for the 5K. I probably could have sped up my pace 10 seconds faster for the 10K to earn a 3rd place award. Oh well, the 5K allowed me to achieve a new PR for the course & a 3rd place age group award.

Once the race was over, the thought of the dreaded College of The Canyons Summer Series started looming in the back of my head. Luis Bernal hopping on his mountain bike with Go Pro camera attached to his seat post and the sound of the gun going off still gives me butterflies while typing this. The races this year brought record numbers of runners. The course had changed due to work being done at Cougar Stadium. People were describing that the times were slower due to the many twists and turns and earl uphills in this race. Good, because personally I saw that my times were about 30-40 seconds slower than last year!

I was crazy enough to try my hand (and foot) at a mountain bike race this year at The Over Hump Race Series in Castaic. The goal was to finish the hilly 10+ mile race in under 60 minutes. Sorry runners, mountain bike racing is no walk in the park! A humbling experience as I placed 11th in my age group...almost last! A couple of falls, a broken seat and one hell of a bruise on my left upper hamstring left my ego definitely in check. I was thing "One and Done", but now I am thinking about modifying the cycle and what I can do to improve my time next time. Yeah, crazy I know!! Its all about fun and diversity, right?

It was time to fit a much needed family vacation to Maui. And guess what? Time to fit in a 5K on the last day. I really didn't really expect much. I set my mind for lower expectations, for the race was after a week of getting sun baked, eating plenty of Maui tacos and having my fair share of Kona beer. The Kraig Vickers Honor 5K run was my 1st out of state race. The 2nd Annual 5K Run and a 3K Run/Walk was to honor Maui boy Kraig M.K. Vickers who was killed in action in Afghanistan on August 6, 2011 during Operation Enduring Freedom as an member of the US Navy's Special Warfare Development Group. Kraig, along with 21 other members of his unit and an additional 9 US Service Members, were all killed when their Chinook CH-47 Helicopter was shot down by insurgents while engaged in combat operations. The heat and humidity was something that made this little race a challenge. Most of the guys in the front row of the start were well trained tri-athletes. Man, they looked strong! The course was along the bike path near the airport. Nice a flat and fast. I hung with the top 10 racers until about half way. No need to kill my self on vacation. But, of course the competitive juices started to kick in and all that Tuesday Hart track speed work started to pay off. With the last 1/4 mile to go, I heard those immortal words from runners long ago, "just let it go". Watching the clock still in the 18 minutes range allowed me to push for the final kick. And there you go, a PR on vacation with 18:58 and 1st in my age group! Btw, you get a free shaved ice too!!

Now, back to work and to reality. And of course trying to PR for the last CoC race. I better remember to wear my SC Runners singlet or Carl Pantoja will kick my ass! I got my rest, hydrated well and yes, I got the singlet ready. As many of you who have raced this, the start is the most terrifying. One must try and get off that baseball field as fast as you can in order to avoid the bottleneck at the fence onto the road. You need to run a fast 1st mile then conserve for the dirt portion of the 2nd mile. Everyone agrees to stay steady to conserve the energy for "Killer Hill". For me, I got out quick for the first mile and sucked dust on the 2nd mile as the youngsters and Lightening Runners just ate me alive. It truly is difficult to maintain a sub 6:00 mile for the final mile and this is where the race really begins. Just as with the marathon, the final miles are the true test of your endurance. Lungs bursting and legs aching I approached the final 400 meters and begin to give it all. The local area coaches shouting at their runners gave me a boost. I am pretending to be in high school again, HA! But, as I see the clock, I will not break 19:00 minutes. I would be happy with the PR for the series, just not an age group award. Hey, at least I was within 30 seconds behind the famous Kevin McSweeney for the last two races. I believe he was recovering from an illness, but I will take what I can get! 

Lastly, I would like to honor a great friend and fine Santa Clarita runner who celebrated his 80th birthday this summer, Mr. Mike McSkane. Cheers to you and keep running strong. You are a great inspiration! Stay motivated my friends and see you all at the upcoming fall events!!