One tumbler of coffee, two PBJ sandwiches and some running gear later and we were on the road to Boulder City, Nevada. Bound for the parking lot below the old Lake Mead Visitor’s Center (closed for restoration), we knew today’s run would be fun and inspiring…and maybe require a post-run Advil.
Part trail run, part historical journey, part manmade wonder of the world, this 8-mile trek took us…
along Lake Mead (beautiful, too low, chilly looking)
through five 1920s era railroad tunnels (eerie, dark, and one with a Mammoth footprint, we swear!)
through a power substation (DON’T SNEEZE!)
down steep switchbacks to the Hoover Dam parking lot
onto the majestic canyon road of Hoover Dam (Art Deco 1931-1935 memorials, gilded gold elevator doors, ghosts of the past, sweeping concrete civil engineering feats of wonder, plus the new Tillman Memorial Bridge, an expanse to behold)
past the Nevada and Arizona time clocks, and onto the Arizona side
Getting there was fairly easy. We maintained a good pace, chatted it up and remarked on the beauty that is Boulder City. It’s getting back that’s the bitch. It tested our calves and hamstrings. We breathed hard. Our noses ran. We even whined a little. Why? The return journey takes you up and out of the canyon rapidly, as you climb stairs, switchbacks and high-angle trails that seemed oh-so-breezy on the way down.
I love running early in the morning. With the changing of the seasons, it’s getting lighter later and darker earlier which means most of us are running in the dark. It’s a goal of mine to make runners more safe on our nation’s roadways and you’d be surprised how many people I see and pray for their safety. I’m not talking about somebody just out for a leisurely jaunt, I’m talking about serious runners that I see on a consistent basis. From what I’ve seen, I’ve come up with some suggestions:
Against Traffic. Run against traffic when you’re running on the road. Most roads have a shoulder or bike lane and you should stay near the edge (away from traffic) if at all possible. Running against traffic let’s you see oncoming cars and cyclists. Those running with traffic will never know if somebody didn’t see them before it was too late.
Warning Signs. Watch oncoming cars and cyclists. Is there a car coming around a curve wide and fast? Is there a large group of cyclists riding 2-3 wide? Does that car making a left turn see you approaching the intersection? Be aware of your surroundings. Expect the best…prepare for the worst.
Anticipate. When you see the warning signs, anticipate what actions need to be taken. 99% of the time when you take action first, you can avoid many of the dangers. Car’s coming wide and fast? Move off the road or to the extreme side in case they don’t correct their actions. Car doesn’t see you? Make yourself seen or get out of their eventual path.
Reflective Clothing and Lights. If aware started with an R, this would be first. I consider this the most important thing runners can do. Make people see you. While you may wear bright colors, they lose their impact with no light. Find clothing with large areas of reflective print – the tips of your shoelaces don’t count. Use a headlamp or carry a small flashlight. I run with a small flashlight – not to light my way but to make sure cars and cyclists can see me from a distance and know I’m there. Blinking lighting is also another option. Most units are small and unobtrusive.
Enjoy Silence. Music is great but don’t use it in the dark. When one of our senses is dulled, the others take over. You can’t see as much in the dark and using your ears is important. You may hear an obstacle before you see it. Save the tunes for your car or at work. You’ll thank me later.
We’re looking at creating and offering reflective running wear either in partnership with sponsors or on our own (let us know if there’s any interest). As part of the running community, I pray that you all be safe and tear it up on the pavement.
The title of this post has two meanings. The first and most important is that I’ve found my love for running once again. The second is paying homage to Third Day’s song “Born Again.” Looking for some really good spiritual music? Third Day is it!!!
If you’ve been following along, you know that I’ve been struggling all year finding my way thru injuries and just finding my groove running. Who knew all it would take would be some rocky trails right outside my front door?
Every once in awhile in my 6+ years running, I hit some trails in the foothills west of Las Vegas. It was fun and different but never really stuck. When I really bottomed out a couple of weeks ago, I thought it couldn’t hurt to give the same trails a shot again. It’s been magical what’s happened and my whole view of running has once again shifted gears.
While training for various races, I had always felt that the trail running got in the way of my weekly schedules and tempo runs. How could I truly determine my pace when running uphill on technical terrain skewing my times? Long runs? No way!!! Again, can I compare 20 miles on the trails to the streets? I think not!!! That’s the kind of thinking that impeded me really appreciating trail running. It’s all changed now.
I no longer care about my race times. I’m more concerned with my love of running and keeping it going for a very, very long time. My last race, the Summerlin Half Marathon, had some very challenging hills and I vowed shortly after that I would not fear another hill again. This brought me back to the trails. Running them requires climbing the entire way until I turn around. While I might not be able to run all the way up, it’s getting easier each successive time.
With no headphones, nature is up front and all around me. That and the fact that I want to hear any signs of danger (snakes, coyotes, mountain lions, etc.) let’s me soak everything in. There are no trees just rocks so orienteering is fairly easy. Yes, you might take a wrong trail every now and again but they all lead down. It’s not a matter of getting down, just where it spits you out.
I’ve vowed to now take all long runs on the trails while inserting a couple of street runs just for times sake. Since it takes a good 2+ miles to get to the “good stuff,” it doesn’t make any sense to take my shorter runs to the trails. I can hardly wait for my next long run. I don’t care about the distance on my running schedule, I just run until nature tells me to turn around.
As always, I want to share some of this with you. If you happen to be in the Las Vegas valley and want to join me some Saturday, shoot me an email and we’ll hit it together (just don’t leave me in the dust).
This is about 2+ miles into my trail run. It’s when you first start hitting the red rock formations and gully’s. Before you get here, you’re sure to bump into the desert cottontails and if you’re really lucky, a family of coyotes.
This is the first landmark worth stopping to look at. You can see this rock formation from all over Las Vegas. It’s much better up close and personal. You have a couple of options here. You can go right and take a little easier climb up or head down to the left. This will take your right to the base and up the “bad ass climb” that requires a little walking.
At the top of the “bad ass climb” one can look back upon the Las Vegas valley. It’s amazing how quickly you can make the Las Vegas Strip seem small. A goal of mine to to run these trails one night for a surreal light show. Need to find a running buddy first. Don’t think I want to tackle this feat alone.
A little further up into the foothills additional rock formations come into full view. While not as spectacular as the first, they all have there own charming qualities.
This is where I called it a day last Saturday. I had set a time limit of one hour before I turned around. This point is approximately 4 miles and 1,500 ft. in elevation change. With the loose gravel and sand, my legs started to scream at me to turn around. The great beyond is what has me intrigued. What wonders wait for me at the crest of the trail? I can hardly wait to find out!!!
To be brutally honest with you I’ve been scared to run for the last week. The tragic and needless death of Jeremy Kunz in this years Las Vegas Ragnar Relay effected me greatly. Over the past couple of months we here at One Runner’s Brain have tried to advocate runner safety. Whether it’s rules of the road or wearing the correct clothing, there’s a lot we need to do to make sure we can be seen by motorists. I’ve tried to lead by example but I decided the amount of reflective clothing I wore was not enough.
Most of my long runs are on Charleston Blvd./Nevada State Route 159 which treks thru the beautiful Spring Mountains and The Red Rock Canyon Conservation Area (if you’re ever in Las Vegas you have to run out here). This is a popular route (especially for cyclists and more and more runners) because you can take this road to Blue Diamond Road (about 15 miles) and back and not have to worry about one single stop light. What you do have to worry about (especially in the dark, early morning hours) are vehicles seeing you on the shoulder of the road.
This weekend I went out and purchased a Nathan Night Fall Vest and I’m sleeping and running with a much clearer mind. Knowing that I’m going to light up like a Christmas tree to oncoming drivers is much more comforting than wondering if they’re going to see you. I still carry a flashlight and prepare to launch myself into a gully at the first sign of lights heading my way, but I know they can see me.
If you’re not wearing reflective gear, please go out get some. There are many inexpensive items from reflective tape, wrist bands and vests. Don’t leave it up to chance. We can’t stop drunk or reckless drivers but there are steps we can take to make running a whole lot safer!!!
With the 2009 Portland Marathon quickly approaching and race day now only 6 days away, my wife has thrown down the ultimate challenge… RUN THE PORTLAND MARATHON WITHOUT MY GARMIN!
Can you say…Race plan? Splits? Pace? Heart Rate? How in the world am I going to stick to my plan? She contends that I don’t need to run with the watch because I know my body and fitness level so well that I will “know” where I am, and frankly, “who cares!” Meaning, I should run free, run for fun, run because I have trained hard and let the chips fall where they fall.
Is she crazy? Or is it just me? I am honestly struggling with this dare. Especially coming from your wife…this is a serious test. In part I have to agree with her, but the obsessive, perfectionist side of me says “stick to your plan and monitor your performance as you go”.
As you can tell, I am torn by this dare. Largely in part, due to the fact that I am the ultimate competitor and want to prove to her that I could run Portland or any other marathon for that matter without my watch and still PR…after all it’s not the damn watch that is doing the running, its my LEGS and HEAD.
With that said, I am putting it out there to the running world for a survey!
Well it’s been two weeks now since my boyz and I started training for the Disneyland 5K on September 5th. Right now we’re concentrating on at least two times a week and it’s the most fun I’ve had running in my life. As adults, we tend to focus on our pace, hydration and form – these two have reminded me that you can indeed laugh an entire mile and forget you’re running entirely.
Every run starts out with a distance goal. We started out doing .5 miles and have worked up to 1.5 miles on our last run. Our first couple of runs came in around a 14-15 minute pace while on our last run we were in the low 12′s. When they tire – we slow down and being boyz, there’s always the sprint to our house to finish our run.
Once we finish our training, I will publish our training schedule if you’re interested in trying it with your kids.
We have given ourselves running nicknames and I’ll let them (Flash and Speed Ball) give you their outlook on training so far. My nickname? White Lightning [shaking my head].
Speed Ball (9 years old)
So far I’ve ran a mile and a half. I think I’m doing great with my running. I feel good while running around the block or running through a new path. So I like running so far.
Flash (6 years old)
Running is excellent. I have super fun running and don’t forget to stretch before you run or jog.
This is my first real post related to RUNNING and I have to admit I am having a bit of a challenge clearly organizing my thoughts. Why? Well there is a phenomenon that occurs before every major individual running event. I have officially branded it TAPER TORTURE. If you are a newbie to running marathons, the “Taper” is the segment of your training that includes a gradual reduction in mileage and intensity. At first, you might think the taper sounds great giving your body a much needed break from the pounding and beating you have been dosing it with the past 16 plus weeks. While your body deserves and needs the much needed time to rest and recover (rebuild muscle damage), the psychological torture that comes with this segment of the training can be difficult to manage. Water boarding sounds pretty good right about now.
Intellectually I know and understand the benefits of the TAPER, but psychologically, it can play tricks on you. Makes you question your training, your fitness level, your weight, your speed, your VO2 Max, your max lactic threshold limits, your marathon plan, your pace…you name it and I have thought about it, obsessed, fixated, worried and mentally tortured myself about it.
With less than two days before my next marathon event, the torture is becoming increasingly more intense. There are moments I feel like an untreated adult with ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder for you DSM and mental health folks). All joking aside, the Utah Valley Marathonis a BQ (Boston Qualifier) and is an important pre-summer race for me. My last full marathon was California International- CIM (Sacramento, California) in December of 2008. Running fitness isn’t my worry at this point. I trust I have worked hard enough in my training to have a good run on Saturday. I had planned to run two marathons in the spring only to cancel due to relocating to the Boise, Idaho area making travel to a marathon nearly impossible during a life move. I did however, run several half marathons this year (including a PR 1:26:29 Boise Famous Potato Half Marathon) in the Boise area that were used as part of my overall marathon training plan. I realize as I become battle bourne, it is the mental aspect of running that is sometimes the most difficult to master. I had a great running friend once tell me that running is totally cerebral (thanks “E”). Intellectually I understood what he meant, but after running and training extensively as a marathoner, I truly understand what he means.
Training your mind is equally as important as training your legs and your body. What have I done to help prepare mentally for this upcoming race?
1. Trust my training
2. Sleep
3. Cross train on “rest days”
4. Iced an injured arm (cross-training accident; post forthcoming)
5. Stretch and Roller Massage.
Now, there’s a lot more in terms of details, but simply stated, I have really focused on those 5 areas to try and remain relaxed prior to the starting gun. It will be a short, but long couple of days, including a 3:00 a.m. wake up call on Saturday morning to catch the marathon bus to the start. Race time: 6:00 a.m. Start: Provo Canyon and Wasatch Mountain Range Finish: No public predictions (I like to keep those to myself).
Taking your mileage from 60-70 mile weeks down to 20-25 is not easy. Your body and brain are telling you to run, cleanse the soul, feel some pain, crank up your heart rate, get some fresh air, clear your head, burn some calories, stay fit…while my mind and body are telling me to GO, I know they’ll be plenty of that in less than 48 hours and this resting time known as the TAPER TORTURE will be well worth it.
Yesterday was one of those runs. Where everything was nearly perfect. I’m not talking about the weather (winds gusting to 40 mph) or the scenery (city streets filled with traffic) but the run itself was nearly perfect. One of those days where your stride is just right – your breathing is controlled – and you feel like you could just keep going (if it wasn’t for that pesky thing called work).
After my midday run, I happened to email my sister (I’ll get into this story another time) and let her know about the “perfection” that had just happened. She responding by telling me about her “nearly perfect” run that very same day.
So that got me thinking…what makes your run “perfect”.
Is the scenery? Your running mechanics? A state of mind? For me, it’s the mechanics. If running becomes work, it’s not fun. Scenery definitely helps but if I’m throwing up or massaging cramps on the banks of a bubbling brook in snow covered mountains…that’s far from perfect!!!
Took the new Pearl Izumi Syncro Float treads out for their first real workout yesterday. I can honestly say that they are the most comfortable shoe (not just running shoe) that I’ve ever owned. I’m actually contemplating getting another pair just to wear. Now with this sort of glowing review, I’d like my Pearl Izumi sponsorship to start any minute now. Ever sponsor a running blog? No seriously, have you? I’ll let you know if I receive an answer, but don’t hold your breath.
Do you want to run to Arizona? Sure!
Calories burned = 800.
