Update: Rim Trail Challenge Redux -- Postponed Again!

Due to unforeseen circumstances we'll find another date -- third time will be the charm!

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OK, between the wind, cold, fog, Tony's absence, and Roger's spot-on imitation of T-Dog, the first challenge didn't exactly work out the way we hoped. So the new challenge is on for Saturday, June 9, at 6:30 a.m. See you in the Lafayette Reservoir parking lot!

Harrier Pride

We had a particularly impressive day on May 6th at the Devil Mountain 10K -- and we have photos of Roger, Rhett and T-Dog to prove it! Go team. . . .

Rim Trail Challenge!

The challenge is on for 6:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 26, parking lot of the Lafayette Reservoir. The mountain lions should be asleep by then. And we'll have a long weekend during which to recover. . . .

Are you really sure?

From Bay Area Hiker's review of the Lafayette Reservoir Rim Trail:

"Should EBMUD ever decide to transform their Lafayette Reservoir into a theme park, they need only to slap down some tracks on Rim Trail and turn the roller coaster carts loose. Rim Trail is a bucking bronco of a fire road, constantly rising and falling as it runs along a ridge around Lafayette Reservoir. The loop is less than 5 miles, and . . . (a)round the 4th mile I felt like screaming, 'enough already with these hills!' . . . . The hiking-only fire road starts a moderate climb through valley and coast live oak, with yellow star thistle, coyote brush, and poison oak in the understory. . . . Soon enough the easy hiking is over, and the trail takes the first of many sharp drops, followed by an equally steep ascent. . . . A nasty bit of steep up and down hiking ensues. . . . Suddenly, Rim Trail plummets downhill. The Olmsted Brothers map shows this stretch as a hogback, and it is certainly a challenge to hikers with tender knees and/or hips. . . . There is very little shade as coast live oaks and an occasional blue elderberry tree linger well off the sides of the trail. . . . Rim Trail persists, rolling up and down at a moderate pace. Finally, at 4.29 miles, Rim Trail runs out of steam (and hills). . . ."

The Final Frontier

Interesting BBC news story about the first marathon to be run in space. Beat that, Karno.

Unexpurgated photos

OK - Here are the original pictures:

Greetings from Sweden

As you've deleted my visage from the Golden Gate Vista run photo, here's a photo of me midway through my 9-mile run around Stockholm under a clear-blue Swedish sky. Weather has been relatively mild (about 9 degrees C) although there's still winter snow on the ground. Missed your company, although I did meet a nice man taking a ferret for a walk on a leash.

Across the Bay. . . .and Beyond!

Great Emerald run yesterday -- I'm not sure I'll look at nuts in quite the same way again. . . .

Getting a date for a half-marathon this spring looks problematic, but I'm not sure we need it. We have the Brickyard 13K in April, the Devil Mountain 10K and Bay to Breakers 12K in May, and our Tri for Fun in June, which brings us to July 15 and the Napa to Sonoma Wine Country half marathon. That looks like a pretty full schedule to me, and if we run the Marine Corps in October, we'll start our serious marathon training just before the half in July.

Thoughts?

10-Minute Rule

Diablo Harrier etiquette allows for the run to start either 10 minutes after the scheduled time or 10 minutes after the first person arrives, whichever is later. So if cars are there and people are not, then you'll just have to catch up on the path. . . .

Bowerman 101

For those of you not interested in reading the paean to Bill Bowerman that is Kenny Moore's Bowerman and the Men of Oregon (Moore finished 14th in the Olympic marathon in 1968 and 4th in 1972), here is the abridged version of his story according to:

National Distance Running Hall of Fame

Wikipedia

Nike

University of Oregon

Bowerman is one of the two reasons we selected the Eugene Marathon as the Spring focus race for the Harriers. Prefontaine 101 will be forthcoming soon. . . .

He's got the fever. . . .

Looks like we're not the only ones who can't stop running long. . . . check out the latest announcement!

Check out the Runner's World marathon recommendations -- we're still searching for a fall run. Marine Corps, anyone? NYC (though only about half of us would likely get in)? Seattle? California International?

Coffee on 4th St

Here's Peets Coffee:

Coffee

Running While Disabled

Interesting news story from the BBC on how a fraudster claiming disability in the UK was caught out. Watch out, Tony.

The Moanfest Continues

If you want a chuckle, you should check out the litany of complaints continuing to pile in about the Vegas Marathon.

My favorite so far is the guy who flew in from Hawaii to run the marathon and was so hungover he took the wrong turn through the Fremont Street Experience to run the half course instead.

The Runner and the Virtual Path

As I'm nursing an injured foot, and committed not to run until either it heals or pre-dawn temperatures rise above zero (whichever is later) how about meeting here for now?

And what about a marathon through the woods this fall?