Running The Shamrock Run 15K

I am in Portland, Oregon for a few days to present at WritersUA, a technical writing conference and while I was driving through town on Saturday, a poster for the 30th annual Shamrock Run caught my kids' eye. I checked out the website and found out that there was still a chance to register on race day. Better yet, the race start and finish line was two blocks away from our hotel.

I got up early and since we were also going to go for a hike later that day, Vicky and the kids decided to watch the race from the hotel window :) When I arrived at the start of the race, I instantly understood why Portland is rated the 5th-fittest city in the United States: there were 16,000 runners running in the 5K, 8K, and 15K combined!

I decided to run the 15K and despite the huge crowd it only took me five minutes to get a race bib (they were out of chips for the late registration) and just two minutes to check in my clothes, thanks to the hundreds of fantastic volunteers and an impeccable organization.

Never having run a 15K, not knowing the terrain, and not having run any short races for a while, I really had no idea what I could expect as a finishing time. I lined up towards the front of the roughly 2500 15K runners, after having seen the 5K starting line take almost the full 13:30 that it took Dan Brown to finish and win the 5K to simply get past the starting line.

We took off, touching the Shamrock race banner for good luck, and after a short tour of the downtown we started a pretty good climb. Whenever you see several race signs that make fun of going up a steep hill ahead, you know that you're going to be in for a pretty good climb and, sure enough, this one did not disappoint. The first 4.5 miles were all uphill (approximately 600' climb) and it only really started dropping back down at mile 7.

Elevation Profile of Portland's Shamrock Run 15K

The course was really pretty and I enjoyed running in the new environment. I paced pretty well and went faster than I expected. I hit mile 6 in under 42 minutes, which surprised me a little bit. At mile seven, the race joined with the (3000+ ?) 8K runners and the 15K runners started weaving through the crowd. Towards the end, the two races ran in different lanes and I picked up the pace for the last half mile. I sprinted past about three runners who had previously passed me just seconds before the finish line. I finished in 1:03:30, in about 24oth place overall (a new PR by default for this new distance, but one I was quite happy with). I grabbed some water and within ten minutes, I was back at our hotel room.

We went for a great hike at Multnomah Falls later in the day. The hike features a one-mile, 600' climb to an observation deck at the top of the waterfall. This is the second highest waterfall in the United States -- pretty spectacular.

Race Details (Motionbased): http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/5182333

Next up: Rucky Chucky 50K (Note: the first aid station of this race cannot be reached by trucks, so there will not be aid for the first 13 miles of the race, so if you're running this race, bring extra water bottles -- so much for using this as a supported training run :)

Gordy Ainsleigh's Cool Yule Jingle Jog

At the end of last week's Turkey Trot, legendary ultrarunner GordyAinsleigh was handing out flyers for his Christmas Day run in Meadow Vista. A lot of you have asked me to provide some more information about the run, so here it is:

With Gordy (left) and Sierra Trailrunner Catherine, at the Run Through the Colors (Photo Courtesy of Catherine)

Cool Yule Jingle Jog

Preparing Mind and Body for Christmas Dinner

What?

5K Walk/Run 10K Run
This Year Only – A benefit for Gordy’s Tooth Fairy Fund
(The race director needs a tooth implant.)

Where?

Meadow Vista Park, Meadow Vist, CA
To get there, take Hwy 80 to the Meadow Vista Exit and use this Google Map for specific directions:

View Larger Map

When?

Dec 25th -- Registration starts at 10 a.m.; race starts at 10:30 a.m.

Fee:

$25 (preregistered before 12/16) $30 thereafter. Make checks payable to Placer Trails Conservancy.

Rules:

Start on time or shortly thereafter, follow marked courses and wear bells (provided) on shoes. Only runners may take the 10K course. No dogs out of vehicles until all runners are gone. Dog start is 10 minutes later.

Awards:

• Red or green long-sleeve shirts (featuring a print of two Canada geese in flight) to all runners.
• Large living bouquets from Eisley Nursery in Auburn + certificate to the first man and woman in both races.
• Certificates (suitable for framing, featuring geese in flight) to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in all [approx. ten-year age] divisions.

Race Applications:

You can get an application (including the typical waiver of liability) from Gordy by sending him mail (H. Gordon Ainsleigh DC, PO Box 1087, Meadow Vista, CA 95722) or calling (530) 8 7 8 - 1 9 0 1. (Sorry, I don't have an e-mail address).

- - - - -

Merry Christmas! This should be a lot of fun. However, I don't think I'll be able to make it myself, because this is Christmas Day after all!

Running the Michael Bratton II Memorial Turkey Trot

With Larry Defeyter (left) and Steve Bond (right)

On Thursday (Thanksgiving Day), I joined over 1100 runners and walkers for the second annual Michael Bratton II Memorial Turkey Trot in Nevada City. This was my last race of the year and the final race in the Gold Country Grand Prix series. However, I had already sort of stopped training seriously since the Helen Klein 50 Miler and I had, instead, been focusing on assisting my kids with emptying out their enormous Halloween baskets.

I needed a third place in my age group here, and, as Steve Bond pointed out in his "Run for Your Life" Union newspaper column, all I had to do was stay on the course, and [an Age Group] first would be mine.

Runners warm up at the start

To make sure I would stay on the course (something I had a problem with last year at the Draft Horse Classic 10K, and consequently cost me a top three place in my grand prix age group), I ran the course once with Sid Heaton the week before the race (thanks Sid!). As it turned out though, the race was organized impeccably, and getting lost was not an issue. Volunteers lined the many intersections of the course and even the local police was out at some of the more dangerous intersections.

Sean was guaranteed a (grand prix) second place in his age group and Rocky had fourth place pretty much locked up. Unless some of their opponents did not show up at all, there was not much more they could do. Running their 11th grand prix race, however, makes them possibly the only two GP participants that have actually run all the races in the grand prix. Only kids can do this, because one of the races is the kids' race, in which only children up to 12-years old can participate. There are plenty of adults (like me), who have run all the races this year and I heard that they might take the kids' race out of the series next year to even it out.

Although I had a comfortable lead in the age group, there was also a small chance of a shot at a top three male overall place in this year's grand prix, but I could only get that if I placed first in my age group among the Grand Prix participants. For a large part that was going to be determined by whether Nevada City's speed demon Larry Defeyter would run the 5 or the 10K. Fortunately for me, he had signed up for the 5K, so there was still hope.

Sean and Rocky's friend Hayes had a narrow, one-point lead over Rough and Ready's Austin Violette and this final race would decide who would win the 13-15 age group.

Prior to the race, Michael Bratton's father gave an emotional speech. The support from the community had been overwhelming and the already huge race (for local standards) had almost doubled in size in only its second year (around 1100 participants!). After that, we were off. The race started and ended on the track and followed some of the cross country trails around the Nevada Union high school as well as some of the nearby roads.

Final Sprint of 2007



I started out at an easy 7-minute mile pace and let the speedy 5K runners and some of the fast 10K runners go ahead. At the first turnaround, I was in 9th place of the 10K runners. An out-of-town 10K runner, Nelson Lauy, was leading the entire field. He would go on to win the race in 31:56! Note: the course was a bit short in both the 5 and 10K.

The field spread out quickly and after the 5K turned towards the stadium, I found myself running pretty much by myself in 9th place. I was still in first place in my age group (grand prix-wise), so I figured I had a real shot at making the top three overall of the series, but then, all of a sudden at mile 4, a runner named Jason Higelin, who looked like he could be part of the 30-39 AG passed me in a burst of speed. I had seen him in another race, so I was not sure if he was part of the grand prix. To be sure, I thought, I really should try to beat him.

Jason slowed down after a little while and I slowly started catching up to him. When the 10K course connected with the 5K course again, we started passing lots and lots of walkers. Most of them were oblivious to the fact that there was a race going on, so we lost quite a bit of time zig-zagging through the crowd, calling out "on your left," which some walkers actually interpreted as "move to your left," resulting in a few unplanned walk breaks.















5K Age Group Winners Chris Bodelato (Left/first overall) and Larry Defeyter (4th overall, with new haircut)

I finally passed Jason on a long downhill just before the stadium, but on the next uphill, he once again, charged past me in another unbelievable burst of speed. He slowed down again soon though and kept running about 15 yards ahead of me. Jason entered the stadium and I hit the track only a few seconds behind him. That was it, I was not going to go out without a fight! I accelerated and blasted by Jason with about 150 yards to go.

Fully expecting a counter attack, I just kept sprinting at sub 5-minute mile pace. One more corner, I looked back, and noticed I had already created a 5-second gap, so I just kept running as fast as I could to the finish line, arriving in 41:51 (9th place overall, third in the 30-39 AG for this race, and first in the Grand Prix participants' AG). As it turns out, Jason was in the 20-29 AG, and I don't think he was participating in this year's GP!
















Hayes picks up first place in his AG, winning this year's AG in the GP


Hayes finished first in his age group in the 10K, maintaining his one point lead over Austin, who won the 5K race in his AG. Sean and Rocky ran the 5K, but did not place in the top-three. They now have 2nd and 4th place in their Grand Prix AG. We hung around for the awards and talked to other runners about next year's race schedule. There is going to be a Grand Prix awards ceremony on the 9th of December.




















10K Age Group Winners


Gordy Ansleigh, who easily won the 60-69 AG in the 10K, came around with flyers for his Cool Yule Jingle Jog 5 and 10K on Christmas Day (10:30 a.m. start). Benefits go to the Gordy Tooth Fairy Fund (Gordy is in need of an expensive tooth repair). So, maybe this was not my last race after all...

See also:
http://www.theunion.com/article/20071123/SPORTS/111230150

Next up: Weekend TRT section hikes as long as it does not snow!

Running Through the Colors

At the Start with Sean and Rocky

Today, I joined what seemed like a record crowd (200+) for one of the biggest local races, the annual Run through the Colors 5 and 10K in Nevada City. The race lived up to its name in a big way; the trees seemed to be having their own competition for most beautiful fall colors.

For different reasons, Team Lubbers decided to switch gears by running the 5K distance instead of the usual "longest available race on the menu." Last year, I had picked the 10K option at Run through the Colors race and lost what could have been a nice 3rd place age group finish in the 2006 Gold Country Grand Prix series. So, still recovering from the recent ultras, and trying not to have history repeat itself, I entered the 5K myself. Rocky had just recovered from a flu and Sean had just undergone a major dental surgery on Friday, so the boys entered the 5K as well, with Rocky running and Sean walking. It was actually amazing that Sean could walk at all, since he had not eaten since Thursday night and was still in a lot of pain. And since all of us were running the 5K, Sean and Rocky's friend Hayes decided to switch to the 5K as well. Vicky and Hayes's mom were on hand to cheer for all of us.

In order to win this year's 30-39 age group, I needed at least two second place finishes (good for 7 points each) in the final two races of the season to keep Larry Defeyter, the hard-charging local champ (See Steve Bond's Union Newspaper article), from overtaking me. As it turned out, Larry was running the 10K today, so I had a good chance, although it was hard to tell at the starting line which race the other 30 to 39-year old grand prix runners were running. Hmm, all these calculations and strategies, this sounds suspiciously like that other grand prix series that I am running in. One thing is for sure, participating in two grand prix series will make you a better mathematician!

Sean was pretty much guaranteed a second place in the grand prix series for his 12-and-under age group, but Rocky was going to have to run hard for the remaining two races to make it into the top three of the age group and with local national class 12-year old Zach Stoll present, it was going to be even harder.

The Top of Nevada City's Broad Street in Fall Colors

It was very cold at the start, so we could not wait to get started. At exactly 8:30, all the 5 and 10K runners took off in a mad dash to make it to the narrow turn onto the main road without getting trampled. Everyone was running very fast, but that abruptly changed when we made our first right turn, which marked the start of a brutal uphill (Nevada Street) that slowed everyone, except perhaps eventual 10K winner Chris Bodelato (in an amazing 35 minutes and change), down to a crawl.

After about a mile, the 5K and 10K courses split and I found myself in fourth place overall of the 5K, right behind Zach Stoll and with the ever-dangerous Greg Ngo not far behind me. The course wound itself up and down the streets of Nevada City; I don't think there was a single flat section! On the uphills, the featherlight Zach would pull ahead of me, and on the downhills, I would pull even with him again.

The Long Downhill on Broad Street

The last part of the course is my favorite: a huge downhill on Broad Street (the main street in Nevada City's downtown area), followed by a slight uphill before the final straightaway to the finish. Greg was still pretty close, so this was my chance to increase the gap. I started hammering down the hill and passed Zach just before the final climb. Realizing I now had a chance to put some extra points in the grand prix bank, I sprinted to the finish and arrived in third place overall (1st in the 30-39 AG) in about 20:45.

Hayes finished the race in 28 minutes and change and Rocky came in around 32 minutes. Larry Defeyeter won the age group in the 10K (41 + change) and Frank Plucker and Sid Heaton ran some excellent 10K races as well. I met many fellow Sierra Trailblazers, including Catherine, the Sierra Trail Runner (who ran a great race herself -- check out the great pictures on her blog) and it was fun catching up with all of them. We had a fun time watching the other racers finish. The most dramatic finish of the day was Troy Vahidi's. His super-charged finish sprint reminded me of the recent women's finish at the Chicago marathon, as he blasted by an unsuspecting race finisher in the final 50 yards.

And, hey, I was not the only ultrarunner participating in the short distance today! Gordy Ansleigh, the man who basically invented ultrarunning, ran the 10K and won the 60-69 age group.

With Gordy at the Awards Ceremony

After most of the 10K runners had finished, race director Richard Thomas handed out the great awards that this race is known for: the Sierra Club Calendars for the top 2 in each age group. Last year my dad, who came in second in the 70-79 age group, had won one and and fortunately I was able to pick up another one of these great calendars this year. The amazing Boutte family from Nevada City had a great day with four age group wins and (I think) two overall wins as well, so look for them selling calendars in the mall :)

Richard Thomas Hands out the Famous Calendars

V. Neelankantan Picking up His Annual Calendar -- Photo by Rocky Lubbers

After the race we went for our traditional coffee at the Wisdom Cafe on Broad Street. We had actually passed the cafe during the race. I ordered a large latte and was not disappointed!

The Wisdom Cafe on the Race Course

Redefining "Large Coffee"

Many thanks to Richard Thomas and his wife for organizing this great race, and to the small army of volunteers who monitored every intersection of the course and made sure this race went so smoothly.

Next up, The Helen Klein 50 on November 3rd!

Racing the Freedom Run 5K

Yesterday, on July 4th, I celebrated Independence Day by joining about 150 other runners for Nevada City’s first annual Freedom Run. The event, organized by the Nevada Union Runners Booster Club, was a fundraiser for the Nevada Union High School track and cross-country teams. It was also the seventh run in the Gold Country Grand Prix series. After this event, the Grand Prix series will take a summer break with the next run scheduled for the end of September (The Draft Horse Classic).

Most GP races offer a 5K and a 10K race, but this race was only a 5K. This seems fair, because the Salmon run only offered a 10K option. It also levels the playing field, because runners now have to compete head to head with the other runners in their age group.

5K is definitely not my specialty. I knew this going in, especially these days, since I am now in 100-mile training mode, but today’s results proved it once more.

The race started at 8 a.m. at the High School soccer field. The front-runner, Andrew Primrose, who ended up winning the race in 18:14, took off with lightning-speed and the rest of the pack followed. I followed Greg Ngo and Larry Defeyter up and down the cross-country trails. It was already getting hot in the exposed sections. As Larry started disappearing, I tried to stay close to Greg, hoping that it would come down to a sprint on the track. Greg, however, kept a really strong pace and dropped me about a mile before the finish. V Neelakantan also passed me, never to be seen again.

I was passed by two people on the last uphill, but caught them again coming into the stadium. Finishing on the track is always a lot of fun, I ran the 7/8 lap on the track in about one minute and finished in 20:28, which was good for 8th place overall and third in the 30-30 age group.

Discussing the Grand Prix results with runner and Union Newspaper (running) columnist Steve Bond

Right behind me, Rough and Ready’s Austin Violette, who just finished pacing Don Zea for 20 miles at Western States ten days earlier, battled it out for the top spot in the 13-15 GP age group with Nevada City’s Danny Heinz. Austin passed Danny with less than 200 yards to go. I think Austin is ready to step it up to some ultra distances and I have no doubt that he will do very well.

Sean's sub-30 finish

Sean told me he wanted to run sub-30 and succeeded. Rocky ran 33:15 and Vicky, who had been sent the wrong way by one of the volunteers on this otherwise perfectly organized run, walked and ran the course in about 48 minutes. All in all, we had a good time and we all did pretty well in this first part of the Grand Prix series.

Rocky, bringing it home

Next up, a solo 20-mile training run on the TRT100 course at Mount Rose this weekend and then, the 100 mile race itself on July 21st. I can’t wait!

Dutch Go 1-2 at the Oracle 5K

Today, I joined a few hundred other Oracle colleagues and some ex-Oracle employees for the annual Oracle 5K. Though this event was advertised as a non-competitive fun run, there was going to be some serious competition up front.

I warmed up for about a mile and met Chihping and Yuki at the start. I'm looking forward to see them again this weekend at WS100; Yuki is going to run the race and Chihping will first be on the safety patrol for 30 miles, and then he will pace Yuki for the last 38 miles from Forest Hill. Chihping made some nice pictures, so I am looking forward to his post about the race.

There were easily 200 people at the start and I took off quickly to avoid getting run over on the narrow bike path, then settled into about a 6 minute pace. The course is a flat out and back course along the Belmont slough in Redwood Shores, close to the Oracle Headquarters. I work for Oracle, but mostly work off site, so it is always fun to visit and meet co-workers and other friends.

I was almost immediately passed by a fellow Dutchman, Mark van de Wiel, who is a product manager and an accomplished marathon runner, who has run marathons all over the world. I followed him to the turnaround point and on my way back I noticed that Ian Inglish was not far behind me, looking strong. The temperature was great, but it was a bit windy, causing slightly slower times.

On the way back, I was not able to close the gap with Mark (he finished first in 19:08 and his name will be added to the 5K trophy that has the names of all the previous winners on it), but fortunately, I was able to hang on to my second place in 19:23. Ian Inglish came in right behind me in 19:30. One good reason to try to finish this race really quickly is that you avoid the long lines for the showers. Last year, I hung out at the pool a little too long and ended up waiting for over 20 minutes to take a shower :)

All in all, it was a lot of fun and I plan to come back again next year.

Next up, the Habitat Run Half Marathon on Saturday morning, followed by pacing my friend Dave jr. for the last 38 miles at WS100 at night.