Dawn Patrol on Mt Falcon

Most days I'm in the office between 7am and 8am. However today with a late conference call schedule with our corporate office in Sydney, I had the rare opportunity to head in late. Opting out of sleeping in or running more miles around the hood, I thought it would be fun to run Mt. Falcon before sunrise.

Goal was to simply head up and down the main face since I haven't ran trails in 3 weeks and had no idea what the trails would be like. At the TH before 6am and was pleasantly surprised by how much light there was from the night sky. Within minutes, the sunrise glow was glaring all over the place making visibility a non-issue.

Sunrise itself was an amazing experience. Just bringing everything around to life.



Got in about 55 minutes of easy running during my little adventure. This route during more normal conditions has been done a good 10 minutes quicker. Regardless, this was a great way to start out the day.

First Run in February

11 days into the month of February and I finally got a run in. At the end of January I told myself to take some time off to rest up since the pain in my left knee was getting annoying. The pain to be exact is the area where the Patella Tendon connects with the Tibia. Never had issues there till just recently. Not sure what set it off, but my sister in law/physical therapist suggested I heal it up cause if I didn't, it would continue to nag well into the summer.

The past days have been filled with cross training in the gym, lots of stretching and lots more massage icing.

This mornings run was 3+ miles at a slow 8 minute pace. Mentally, I felt like I could have gone all day. Physically, a few hours at this pace could easily be sustained. Knee feels fine but I think I'll know more in the weeks to come. The goal for the rest of the month is to continue the stretching and icing and log in many short and easy run. Hopefully by March and I can pick it up leaving me all of April and most of May to step it up.

January Summary

Runs - 17
Work Outs - 10
Injured - 0

The Bad: During one stretch at the beginning of the month, I worked 18 out of 19 days. Most of my runs this month were done in the dark on icy and snowy patches. Motivation to run is one thing. Running with any bursts of speed with fear of busting your ass is another thing. Lastly, my damn left knee left me taking it much easier then I wanted too and in all honesty will shelve me for a few days starting February.

The Good: Most of the months runs came during the last 20 days of the month. I was always motivated to get after it, regardless of weather or time of day. Got some great trail runs in as well which is a first for me during these cold, dark and snow packed months. Also signed up for two big races. Body and mind are ready to go for sure.

Bottom Line: As much as I hate to do this, I'm going to start out the month on the DL. At least 10 days. Hate to loose this training period but it'll be for the best in the long run. Something can't be right when I follow up a nice 2+ hour run with a solid 5 mile tempo run and my left knee is in pain. Thankfully I know where the pain is and how to treat it. Now I just got to stay focused on the rehab cause getting after it training wise won't be tough to do.

Bergen Peak

Running up hill in snow is not easy. That is something I learned this morning as I ran Bergen Peak. While I've run this peak numerous times over the years, never had I taken it on during the middle of winter. With Yak Traks in bag, I headed out on a sunny, cool winter morning. I never once put on the Yak Traks and in turn spun my wheels numerous times on the ascent. The snowfall from a few days ago obviously wasn't much as most of the trail was bare and when there was snow, it was packed down oh so nicely.



I have to say, as my first real run on trails during the winter, this was a complete blast. No one to be seen for the entire upper portions of the trails. Made the ascent in 56 minutes from the southern parking lot. Last Memorial Day I ran the peak in something like 50 flat. And that was less then 24 hours after running Durango's Iron Horse 10M. So abit off my faster times up there but I'll take this time in these conditions any day of the week.



The descent was taken cautiously and finished off the run with a nice lap around the lower meadows. Some 11 fun miles in 1 hour and 45 minutes.

Honeymoon Road Trip - Part III

After a relaxing morning hanging out with mom, we hit the road. Destination Laughlin, NV. Why Laughlin you ask? Cause we didn't want to go to Vegas and I had no idea what Needles, AZ had to offer. In hindsight, we choose horribly wrong. I'll get to that later. Another reminder of why I hate Cali so much occurred along I-5 about 3 hours away from the Bay Area. Traffic in the middle of no where! Seriously, there is nothing out in the valley along I-5 in Cali yet there was stop and go traffic for numerous miles. We stopped for lunch at In 'n Out and there might have been 40 people in line ordering ahead of us. So a portion of the trip I thought would go smoothly was painful. After 4 hours after leaving the Bay Area, we got off the interstate and headed thru Bakersfield and towards the CA/AZ border. It was getting dark, and with the help of Matt, we made it to Laughlin some 9 hours after we left. And what a crappy town it was. Old greasy stinky dirty. Yeah the town had a few high rise hotels but nothing about the area was attractive. The Colorado River that carves thru there was equally disgusting. A quick breakfast the following morning and we were on our way on the 29th.

The goal that day was Flagstaff, AZ with a side trip to the Grand Canyon, NP. I'd been once, when I was 8, and Michele and never been. The drive along I-10 was beautiful, calm but long. More so for Michele. She was a trooper though. So many days and miles in a car seat and she was doing great. Finally after some 5 hours we made it the Grand Canyon. The weather held off just long enough for us to enjoy the views of the landscape. Within an hour snow was falling and the weather was turning for worse.



Worse all the way to Flagstaff. We finally got to our hotel late that afternoon and we were both extremely cashed from the back to back days of driving. Snow was falling and temps were cold in Flagstaff, but the Beaver Street Brewery made up for it with some solid food and even better beer.

The 30th of December offered horrible weather. Snow, cold and no views to be had. Made our way to Walnut Canyon National Monument before heading off to Sedona. Apparently snow in Sedona is rare yet it was snowing when we got there. The views were minimal at best which was too bad since Michele had never been here before.



With the weather deteriorating, we headed back to Flagstaff for a nap and some walking around historic downtown. While the day was low key, it was nice to do a lot of nothing.

Finally on New Year's Eve the skies opened up. Beautiful views of the San Francisco Peaks, Sunset Crater and the surrounding landscape.



It was too bad we were heading out of town since the skies had cleared but we were ready to get home with a quick side trip to Durango, CO. Roads for the last few hours sucked due to recent snow fall but around 2pm we made it to Matt's house. Unfortunately Andrea and Adaira were still in Denver so we didn't get to hang out with those two. Honestly didn't stop us from having a great time. Dinner at The Palace and drinks at the new joint and the night, for me, was a drunken mess.



Hung over on New Year's. How I didn't vomit is beyond me. Michele and Matt were doing much better then I was which isn't surprising since I'm a light weight. Finally around noon we were back on the roads for one last 6 hour stretch left on the road trip.

9 days, 3,000 plus miles, 6 states and lots of friends and family. It was fantastic to spend so much time with Michele away from home. Our day to day lives are hectic with work, family and friends and rarely do we get the chance to just do nothing and think about nothing together. It's during these times that I realize how lucky I am to have such an amazing gal in my life. So I guess this maybe not be a lot of peoples ideal Honeymoon but one I will remember for the rest of my life.

San Juan Solstice 50 Mile Run

This morning at 7am, I signed up for the San Juan Solstice 50M. Starting and finishing in beautiful Lake City, CO in mid June. For those of you who know me, this race has been on my to do list for a few years now. Ideally I would have signed up for it last year had an injury not knocked me out of most of 2008.

2010 is lining up nicely for me so far. Now if I can just finish this freakin forecast quarter at work, I'll be able to focus on more fun things like my wife and running.

Also got my nights booked at The Matterhorn Motel. 2 blocks away from the start/finish. Can't get any better then than. Then again I haven't seen the room so who knows what I've signed up for.

Honeymoon Road Trip - Part II

Woke up the 24th of December to one of those rare clear, calm and beautiful days in San Francisco. Lucky for us as I was taking on the role of tourist and taking Michele to Alcatraz. I've been here before a few times and I'll admit it, the tour of the rock is pretty damn fun. My favorite part of the trip is the 1 mile boat ride to and from Alcatraz. Some of the best views of the city skyline, especially on a blue bird day like this.



The evening was spent with the best man at my wedding, Cris Taylor. I've known most of his SFC family for some 18 years now. His uncle and aunt, Cathy and Terry had us over for dinner and drinks at their house in Noe Valley. It was also Carol's (Chris' Mom) Birthday. Also over were the kids David and Joey and the fantastic Aunt Liz and Uncle Norm. Good times had by all and it was nice to spend time with Footer's family since it's been years since I'd last seen any of them.

Woke up Christmas day in good old Brisbane with my parents. Very low key, very uneventful. But that's good cause that's how it's always been with my family. That evening we checked into our boutique hotel in Union Square. Fantastic little hotel with free wine, expensive parking and blocks away from the heart of the city. That night we saw Sherlock Holmes at some crazy state of the art surround sound type teather. I acted as tourist again by letting Michele ride the Cable Car from one of my favorite little bars in North Beach.



On the 26th, we headed off to Napa Valley were Footer's dad Bruce was playing tour guide for us at the winery he works at. Montecello Winery. Beautiful estate and very nice low key tour. It was off to Rutherford Hill, Beringer Winery and finally the Rutherford Grille to close out the day. A day that was overcast and calm and by night time a down pour. The only rain during our stay in the city. Dinner was with Cris and Pam at their home in San Rafel. This would be the last I saw of Footer and his family. Great to look back at the past few months and know that I got to spend a lot of time with such a dear friend. Miss you brother!



The 27th we check out of our sweet little hotel and back home for one last night with the family. The day was spent relaxing and hanging out with mom. Dinner that night was with LISA! and my cousin Esther. Love and so miss good sushi.

The 28th was spent with mom and dad for a few hours before we departed the family and San Francisco. I have to admit I can't stand Cali. The past 10 years in Colorado, specifically the mountains, have spoiled me. However I just love San Francisco and will always take advantage of visiting such a fantastic place. Sucka Free!